I have a Canon A75 and it has been an absolute AWESOME camera, especially for the money. The auto mode works great for just about every situation, and the scene selections allow you to easily get a slightly nicer pic for the conditions you are shooting in. Whatever you do absolutely get at least a 512mb or 1gb memory card. This will allow you to take long ass videos (like 2hrs even) and unlimited picture storage(like 5,000 pictures at full resolution).
I like my Kodak DX6340. It's 3.1MP with 4x optical zoom, and it records video w/sound. Picked it up for $199 last summer. Check www.newegg.com for some good deals.
DUDE BUY THE Canon S2 IS i was raving about my canon s1 is and i just read on the new model being released... don't quote me but from what i remember 5mp 14x optical zoom one of the best movie modes on a digi cam improved focus and macro basically a kick ass version of mine... a step below an slr
I made a decision and went with a Canon PowerShot A95. Picked it up today for $269. I really like this camera, and have already drained the batteries that came with it. I bought a battery charger set as well, but they come with uncharged batteries(should have got the quick battery charger for $8 more). I'll try to get some pics up tomorrow.
