need to replace my finepix e550
 

well my mom got a bunch of sand in my camera when we went to the beach and now the lense is all messed up, so she is going to get me a new camera.

I would like one with a much better optical zoom and better at low light that does well at high iso levels. Image stabilization would be a huge plus as I don't have a tripod (and wouldn't want to cary one anyway). Also I would like a camera that can use my xd card.

I'm looking at several ultra zoom cameras right now. budget is $300 or less

Get the S5600...

look at the powershot S2-3 (not sure how much they cost in dollars)

I'd get a screw driver and take apart what you have already have and see if it can be salvaged

are there any cameras in my budget that can handle a high iso but also has image stablization? iso performance on non fuji cameras seems to be pretty crappy but I don't think fuji has image stabilization.

right now I'm looking at the panasonic tz1 and the fuji f30. Is there a camera with the zoom and image stabilization of the tz1 but with the iso performance of the f30?

I think you'll get one and not the other for that money. However, if you could stretch your budget, there is a fairly amazing camera to get. The Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-H5. Vheck this out - it has IS as well as ISO 1000! OK, a bit of a compromise between ISO 800 and 1600, but better than a kick in the mouth. You might be able to get a deal... the 12x zoom is great BUT lacks a true wide angle starting at 36mm equiv. It's easily the best camera in its class, FAR superior to the Canon S3 IMO.

The only alternative in that price range is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7... you get a beautiful Leica lens (which will get you serious kudos as well as great images) and it has the same zoom as the Sony (36 - 432mm).

I wouldn't usually recommend Sony for cameras because of the memory cards, but Pro-Duo card prices are crashing thanks to the PSP (around $70 for a 1 gig last time I checked, although could be cheaper now).

Let us know what you get!