If your aim is to take photos and short video clips then e-mail or post them on the web, then this is great for you.
Positives:
Amazing pictures, small size, very user friendly.
Easy and fun to use.
It has more functions than most in price range.
Great movie quality.
Good shutter speed.
Easy viewing Color LCD screen.
Negatives:
Battery life isn't very long, if not using NiMH batteries!
The included software reassociates almost every picture file format with it.
Fuji FinePix S5100 Digital Camera.
The image quality is great. This includes good "movie mode" quality. If shooting professional news video, use the 30 fps full-frame video, without hesitation.
Positives:
Great feel and image quality.
It is easy to use with full auto, and manual, features.
Fast startup, short lag time between pictures, long battery life, and light weight.
Zoom RAW. Manual focus. Movie w/sound. SLR-like body. AF lamp. All in one!
Well-built.
Negatives:
Battery life is short, and there is no AC adapter.
EVF, small LCD, useless software, a little bulky, and no image stabilizer.
No auto pop-up flash.
Uses an uncommon, and more costly, memory card format.
It has a cumbersome manual focus.
There is no external flash synch.
A shadow is cast, from built-in flash, with add-on W/A lens.
Canon PowerShot S1 IS Digital Camera.
"Read the book!" This has never been my favorite thing to hear. However, in this case, it's certainly worth consideration. It lets you enjoy your camera and get shots worth keeping.
Positives:
Excellent image quality, even at 8x10.
10X USM zoom and image stabilization.
Excellent video mode with full manual controls.
Available accessories are outstanding.
It has a LCD flip screen.
Easy to use auto mode works well.
Low price for all the features with Canon quality.
Uses standard AA batteries.
Easy upload of photos.
Negatives:
Price, No AF assist beam, No RAW or TIFF mode, No live histogram.
Poor focus in low light.
Support is terrible.
Sucks the everloving juice out of batteries!
Name-brand accessories are outrageously priced.
No live image in continuous shooting mode.
Doesn't fit in pocket.
Ships with 32MB CF card, but needs more memory to capture video.
Canon PowerShot SD200 / IXUS 30 Digital Camera.
It is silly to discuss premium picture quality in this point-and-shoot class. The purpose of these small, easy-to-use cameras is user friendly and good picture quality.
Positives:
Ultra compact and light.
Great image quality.
Extremely portable with a large, 2-inch LCD screen size.
Fast, user friendly, ISO 50, with tough stainless steel body.
Good Movie Mode.
About the size of an ordinary business card.
Negatives:
Cheap plastic cover on USB port.
Sometimes takes blurry images, due to holding a camera of such a small size.
Weak flash and tiny battery.
Watch for red-eye, chromatic aberration, and noisy ISO 400 images.
Access to Manual Mode.
Easy to misplace because it is so small.
Canon PowerShot SD300 / IXUS 40 Digital Camera.
This camera is great for recreational shooting, or anything less than serious photography. Basically, this is anything requiring a fast SLR setup. It's a tough micro-cam to argue against.
Positives:
Small design, easy to use.
Battery life improved, download features.
Better quality construction than previous elphs.
Fast, user friendly, ISO 50, with tough stainless steel body.
Huge LCD, minimal shutter lag, good quality pictures, fast startup.
Great still shots for a microcamera.
Fast view action.
Included software is good.
It has underwater features.
Negatives:
Not manually controllable and not as good as film.
Weak flash and tiny battery.
Watch for red-eye, chromatic aberration, and noisy ISO 400 images.
Cheap plastic covers.
Limit of 9 minutes of video per GB of secure digital.
No battery strength indicator on camera.
LCD scratches easily and movies are sometimes hard to playback.