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They might be a little spendier, but the Canon Powershot G series (in particular the G10) is IMHO probably the best point and shoot on the market. It has full manual and programmable modes as well as the capability to shoot in RAW. The G10 does not have HD capabilities, but the newer versions might. They do use a specific battery, but I ordered 3 of the off brand versions for like $25 on ebay and they did me right. 100 reviews on ebay give this camera 4.5 out 5 stars.The bear picture for my avatar and the couple posted in 2009 season were taken with the G10. It's small enough to carry around in my hunting pack, but I can get DSLR results. It's also the backup for many professionals. Deck's
I always recommend Lumix for P/S. THey use their batts though with charger.
Well I tried out the Canon A1100 for a weekend and took it back. I wasn't impressed with it at all. After tons of research and some hands on. Kain was right . I ended up with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS6. Seems to be one heck of a camera. Thanks for the tip Kain.The rechargeable battery should be O.K. I found a deal on Amazon. 2 batteries and a wall-car charger for $29.