Canon does not use a battery meter on any of their cameras. They have a low battery warning; meaning that it does not show up until the battery is getting low.
Instead of the Slympus Stylus 810, you should look at the Stylus 710.
All 8 megapixel cameras show more noise than 7 megapixel cameras.
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I lost my Sony DSC T-7 and would like to find a better quality, pocket-size camera. Some things I prefer it to have besides quality photos: quick power-up time, battery meter, steady shot adjuster as Sony was very sensitive to movement, and good red-eye fix.
I am open to other suggestions as well.
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