what defines quality?

[Inevitability]

ok, so a friend and I were discussing possible digital cameras he could buy. budget is around R2500. we are both n00bs.
Like any person who has a budget to begin with, the idea is to squeeze out the best quality for the money available.
My advice (having read a few articles about photography, and thinking I was now the expert) was that the sensor size was the biggest factor in photo quality, and that if he was given 2 similar options to choose from he should go with the one with the bigger sensor.
...am i on the right track there?
Thing is, there are alot of cameras with he same sensor size (my older fuji s1800 has the same sensor size as a SX40)
So... What would be the set of specs to look at that would define the quality of a pic, and how does one then choose a camera using the above mentioned specs?
the primary requirement is good pics (sharpness, colours), but he also wants 1080 video.

 

[hilton]

Quality is in the eye of the beholder...

For that budget, the bridge camera is what you are going to get or perhaps a very old DSLR with kit lenses and then I still would go for the bridge.

Bigger sensor = bigger picture = bigger print = pros and occasionally some amateurs

Smaller sensor = small picture = web and display = every consumer and some pros