[intakexhaust]

Hope my comments might help. Your interest for inside shots, video and speed:

I rarely lug around an SLR. Have used compact / pocket middle class (10X optical and up) point and shoot and all have their plus and neg's. All of them require manual settings to get the most out of them. Lens and CMOS is whats important. Invest in a memory card with a Class 10 latency.

The Sony's are about paying for the name but I really like them. Side by side comparing basic specs are usually a third to double the price. Lots of gizmos packed in them and the panorama auto stitch works as advertised. House brand lens to Zeiss doesn't matter. Sony's not going to ruin a reputation and put a cr@ppy lens on their camera. Never had a Nikon so can't comment. Olympus is decent but the auto functions results are not exactly what you expect. Fast to manual configure settings and shoot, and impressive results. You really have to experiment with the Olympus to get the most out of it. Still have two in the household.

Favorite and ironically cheap to buy is a Canon. Right now I use daily the Canon Power Shot SX230 w/ HD. Only 12.1 MP but with a larger CMOS,, 14 X optical and shoots an excellent 1080p HD. The low light shooting is excellent and by far always seems the best. Akward location for the flash but outstanding features and output. It's not as user intuitive compared to the Sony or Olympus but the end results seem far better than the others mentioned in its class. Paid a ridiculous cheap $125 at a Target store ($150 w/ 2 yr extended warr. and taxes).