Assuming that you want a point and shoot, not a slr (the budget busters), I recently bought a Casio Exilim EX-S10, it has the shortest lag time for point and shoot cameras (lag time = the annoying delay from the time you push the button until the time it takes the picture)...spent about $180 on it. Its ranked in the top three point and shoots by Consumer Reports.

I also bought a Canon Powershot SD77OIS for my Mom for Christmas. Its ranked as the number one point and shoot by both Consumer Reports and a digital photography web site that I read. Its in the same price ranges as the Casio, about 10 bucks cheaper.

These are thin pocket type cameras, with short lag times. The Casio doesn't have an optical viewer, its LCD only.

The other camera that I would look at is the latest Nikon Cool-pix. Nikon cool-pix was my first digital camera. I bought the casio because I wanted the smallest lag time. I bought the Canon because I know my Mom likes to use the optical viewer.

I have a dslr, and the point and shoot is just a toy on the side to use when I don't want something light and don't have to worry about it get damaged.

Oh thanks, Joe. At least it's some options to research on and check out. Some of the things you mentioned I never would have thought about i.e. lag time and optical vs LCD. I have zero knowledge of digital cameras. I have no idea what slr and dslr mean either. More things to research. It's nice when people tell you what they've already bought or used, it gives you jumping off place.

Val

SLR = single lens reflex, its terminology that doesn't really apply to digital cameras, but it carried over from film cameras.

The single most important thing you should know about digital cameras is that you should never drop them.
-- voice of experience --

Thanks Joe and Aj - and you're right, dropping would not be a good thing :-)

Val

You can buy a fairly decent point and shoot for even less than the ones that I noted above, not sure what your price range is? You could get last years versions of those cameras for about half the price, they will have less megapixels and slower lag times, but are still functional good cameras.

I think maybe the point and shoot would be more in my price range. $170 to $180 is a bit out of the price range I was thinking of. Actually, when I told hubby that I wanted one, he gave me that "oh, this is gonna cost me" look. I told him that surely they've come down by now. I guess that's not the case. I might have to revisit this issue (non-necessary item) next year.

This year we're hoping to put in a new furnace/central air along with replacing at least 6 of the 18 regular windows we have. Our furnace is so old that it is the same size as our bathroom! We call it the green menace. The stupid thing is so huge that it takes 2...count them 2 filters! *sigh*

Val

Val, you can buy a digital camera for less than $100.
Look for something that is point & shoot, and that has optical zoom vs. just digital zoom.

You need to have a way to load your pictures from the camera to the computer, so if your pc already has a memory card reader, look for a camera that uses that kind (except that our pc's memory card reader never works, stupid vista, so we end up using a card reader that plugs into the usb port anyway).

never drop them in the sand at the beach ---might as well drop them off at the garbage can on the way off the beach

There is a big electronics liquidation sale at the Peoria Civic Center this weekend. You can probably get a digital camera at a good price there.

Thanks Joe - just told hubby about it. We just might go down there.

Val