DEFINITELY stick with the Canon PowerShot series. I myself own a PowerShot A300 and eventhough its about three years old, still takes AMAZING pictures with AMAZING quality (even when compared to todays newer cameras). All photos at both http://dontstay.zoto.com and http://aussiestock.zoto.com were taken with this camera.

Sure a Kodak may be cheaper, but for the same price you can get a Canon with higher quailty. The PowerShot series is the absolute BEST out there right now for the price/quality ratio. I DO NOT recommend Kodaks, or HP cameras. Kodak's are good for beginners who don't know a lot... I recommend Olympus, but as SLR cameras and not digital.

EDIT: k9krazee, I didn't see nor read your post before making my reply, so don't think I'm like saying you're wrong or anything, because I'm not.