Quote:
pictures take a turn for the worse

Not possible, hahaha. Read on:

I saw some problem pictures taken with our existing P&S camera which caused the request for a DSLR. Outdoor shots were decent, but oddly fuzzy up close while perfectly sharp in the distance. Inside groups shots were "double exposed" and close ups were, well, trippy; a sharp image blured together with massive motion blur.

When checked the EXIF data in the (Canon S45) camera's software, I nearly cried when I saw:
Outdoor shots were taken in "landscape" mode, with its infinite focus and nonstandard aperature.
Indoor shots were taken in "night" mode, with its overpowered flash and 1/8 sec shutter speed.

Nobody ever asked me why their pictures looked bad, they just wanted a new camera. I bet the old S45 will take 90% decent pictures just by setting it on Auto and properly using auto focus.

To that end, I'm not getting the Pentax but, at my co-workers researched recommendation, a Panasonic Lumix. It's kind of P&S (in price, too), but it's got image stabilization and 12x zoom (both requested features), and a decent range of settings and a seemingly good UI. And it looks kind of like an SLR, which will make 'em happy.

I don't trust Panasonic, but the Lumix seems like a good P&S to solve a non-existant problem and get some bonus features. I'd get the Canon or Olympus "super zoom" cameras in a heartbeat if the didn't use 4x AA batteries. Why!!
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FireFox31
110gig MKIIa (30+80), Eutronix lights, 32 meg stacked RAM, Filener orange gel lens, Greenlights Lit Buttons green set