Well, I know it is more of a pain in the ass, but bigger is usually better
and after a while you will get used to carry along a big camera
I am no expert and to be honest, no time to check out the specs of the 3 cameras right now, but since you asked my opinion, here I am.
Here is what I think is very important when buying a camera: optical zoom must be at least 6 or 7x. And no less than 6 MP these days.
IMO also the trend of having big LCD is useless (well can be handy when checking pics you've taken): the best way to take pics is by looking thourgh the viewfinder, so you need a camera with a practical viewfinder (in mine you can see exactly what you see in the LCD): it saves battery and also helps in having fewer blurry pics.
The tuning on time must be as quick as possible too. Same goes for the focusing and zooming time. Ergonomics are important but you always get used to them in the end.
Also, VERY important IMO is to be able to manually set shutter and aperture, one at a time or both together. I don't dig the cameras with "day / night / sport" preset modes. Also to be able to fiddle with white balance is important for interior or night shots.
Smaller cameras sometimes can't be screwed onto a tripod -> no good
Smaller cameras usually can't have a polarizer filter installed -> no good
Ï love Canon, so I was surprised not to see a canon option up there, but to tell you the truth, I never really looked in depth into those.
And an important thing many ppl forget: a good camera isn't everything. Way more than 50% is up to the photograph anyway. MIHALS always post great pics and he doesn't have a latest generation SLR!
All the cameras in the same price range are similar. Only some details change, and the brand. Basically buy what feels better when in your hand, or the brand you prefer. Then you will get used to it and the rest is up to you
