OK, so my trusty Olympus D-380 has finally started acting up, and I have never really liked my Fuji Finepix S3100. Picture quality on the Fuji is nice, and the 6x optical zoom is definitely a plus, but shutter lag is horrendous when trying to take action shots. Given that most of my photography is either at concerts or sporting events, that is a definite downside. I would like to pick up a decent new camera with at least 3x optical zoom and minimal shutter lag. I don't need much in the way of bells and whistles, as I really don't like reading manuals and figuring out all of the settings. I know we have several experienced photographers on here, and I am hoping that some of them can offer some advice on a user friendly camera that will take good quality pictures without requiring me to earn another degre. Obviously price is a consideration, or I wouldn't be here at B$. Rebate/coupon deals welcome, and preference will be given to products available at Amazon as I have some GCs to use up.

Note: You can tell from my current cameras that I am not on the bleeding edge when it comes to digital photography, so please keep that in mind.

You probably already know, but check out www.dpreview.com. It was a big factor in getting my Fuji Finepix F40, which I love. I haven't used it at sporting events, but shutter lag is not bad compared to my previous cameras. I have a 1 year old who moves quickly and it usually captures it fine. The automatic mode is good if you just want to set it and go. Overall, the exposure is usually good. It takes decent quality videos, also.

I'm also in the market for a DSLR and looking closely at the Nikon D80. :-)

hmm, so Superman likes Fuji, and you don't.

Anyway, I think the Canon SD series are great quality. They are extremely quick and take great shots without a photography degree. They're built strong and small. Definitely a big step above your old Olympus.