My 18th birthday is tomorrow and my parents have been wondering what I'd like to get. I know absolutely nothing about cameras, but I know what I want out of one. I'd like it to have a good microphone and video capture, but I'd also like it to fit in my glove box. I don't need to change lenses or flashes. The things I see it being used for are taking pictures of sunsets, stars, and simple still images, but also recording videos of my system, friends, and maybe some for school projects. I don't think I need a legitimate video camera. I currently have an older Olympus Stylus 710.

Any help would be great! Thanks!

Well, from past experiences, video cameras suck at picture quality compared to dedicated picture cameras.

Picture cameras are skilled enough now to take adequate video without problem.

Look into the sony cybershot. Hx7v or hx9v are great units. High zoom with great photo and video quality.

Look into the sony cybershot. Hx7v or hx9v are great units. High zoom with great photo and video quality.

I'm sure I'll be looking at those. Just figured I'd ask here before heading to best buy and hearing their bias, nothing against them, though! Anything I should consider in a camera regarding specs for adequate videos and good zoom. I tend to not buy the best seats at concerts/sporting events, so zoom is important to me, too.