i'm deciding between this canon 880 and panasonic tz5k

I like the optical zoom and "look" of the panasonic but the reputation of the canon...

Thanks...and what about 880 vs. 990?

After much review of the 880 and the 990 I chose to go with the 880 for one major reason...it has a wide angle lens starting at 28mm. The 990 starts at a very disappointing 36mm. I'm a professional photographer and wide angle is a big deal to me. It's definitely a deal breaker. The 990 does have fully manual modes so if you want more control over your pictures it's very nice to have. However, I have pro gear for when I want to take a photo that requires manually setting up the exposure. For a point and shoot camera my only objective is really shooting friend and family gatherings where I don't want to lug around my pro gear. I trust canon to select the right exposure for me for this type of setting. Besides, for times when I want to lag the shutter I can use the different scene modes set up for that. So you really have to decide what's more important to you, manual exposure control or a wide angle lens. If the 990 had manual settings with a wide angle lens it would be the ideal point and shoot camera. Hope this helps :)

thanks...and finally what about the 890? or sx 110?

I'd still go with the 880 for sure. The 880 has the new Digic IV processor compared to the sx110 which has the old Digic III. That's definitely worth the buy right there. It's a much quicker camera and will take sharper photos. The sx110 does have an impressive telephoto lens but I don't know that it's all that necessary on a point and shoot camera. I'd rather it had more of a wide angle lens than a telephoto. The sx110 starts out at 36mm while the 880 has a more wide angle 28mm. I'm a wide angle nut so I'd go with the 880. But I guess you have to decide which is more beneficial to you. How often do you need to take a picture of something that's 360mm away?

what's your opinion on the 12mp canon 780? Would you consider it better than the 880? The optical zoom isn't as high on the 780 and it also doesn't mention it having the anti-red eye and other flash features that the 880 has.

I haven't had time to review this camera but I can say that just because a camera has more megapixels doesn't make it a better camera. You have to look at many things... what kind of processor it uses, the shutter speed, the lens range, the flash range, etc. What I can say is that I bought the 880 several months ago and I am blown away at the quaility of photos it takes for a little point and shoot camera. Not to mention it is one sexy looking camera as well. I haven't even had time to go through the manual and figure out all the little settings and options but from what I have used on it it works great and takes incredible photos. You'll be very pleased with the 880 :)

Thank you very much!