Aimed for 'adequacy' ie <$200 and good macro - while cognizant of all the other characteristics which could make it a decent all-round boxlet.

Shocked! at how much you can get in '05 for so little.. 4x opt. zoom, etc. Must be 3+ generations over my crummy hP C-20. Apropos: usage by one's mate figured into several reviews, noting that the default options were about spot-on for simple use / while the gadgetry may be defeated in order to use one's experience with real cameras (lock speed or \ufffd-stop, etc.)

<180 New on eBay; no point in used/open-box for so little saved. About the price of a used modest lens for my Nikon F-2, which I long ago peddled for more than I paid.. collectors! {argggh} - fallout from Antiques Roadshow dreamstuff?

(If I wanted max res. / 8 MP+ it'd be SLR, big bucks and pretty much the list Tony covers above, including (!) supersonic shake-motors inside lenses; sheesh - it's just like the chimera$ of hi-end audio.)

Canon A510
I opted for the 3.2 MP over the 4 MP (A520), partly for the reasons stated in this and other nit-picky reviews - with pics to support the pickery - and because $100 extra buys no better performance except a bit higher resolution, at the cost of the added noise demonstrated.. and more purple fringing on sky over-exposure, as through trees; especially if one uses ISO >50 a lot.

A510/520 comparo:
[link|http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_a510_a520-review/|http://www.dcresourc...a510_a520-review/]

(But as with all Web-truth, others found no problem with red-eye suppression - and only modest gripes about low-light auto-focus use, since it has an auto-zoom thingie for good manual focus ... etc. Maybe these guys need to pick 3 samples randomly.)

Others (since I have them)
Begin: [link|http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/a510.html|http://www.steves-di...reviews/a510.html]
Conclusion: [link|http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/a510_pg7.html|http://www.steves-di...ews/a510_pg7.html]
Conclusion: [link|http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona510/page9.asp|http://www.dpreview....nona510/page9.asp]

Bon appetit
(were I rich, I'd likely give a close look at the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 too; 'better' is more fun, just-because it's There. It's also likely the most common addiction after junk-food, in our Mall-world.)