The next new toy....

I'm looking at buying a new digital camera either before I go to Japan or immediately after getting there. So far there are two contenders. One because it is fairly small and has a decent optical zoom and the other because it has a great optical zoon (but is not a pocket camera.)

First off is the Nikon Caplio R4.

The R4 is essentially the R3 with one more megapixel of clarity.

Next is the Kodak Easyshare Z612.

Not a pocket cam, tripod mountable (I'm bringing one with me to Japan) and a great optical zoom. I'm leaning in this direction, although the convenience of a pocket cam would be nice. I definitely want to put my hands on both of these cameras and try them out before I buy one. And in any case I will not be buying one until very soon before the trip. Might as well get a few months of price depreciation on them.