Another vote for Canon. I have the same one as Kay, the canon a60. From what I've heard, Canon cameras are dependable and take great quality photos. I've dropped this camera so many times, I have yet to take it in to repair. I've even dropped it in snow and no damage yet. I've gotten photos developed at a photolab from this camera. Honestly, they look far better than our regular cameras. My mom has 2 very expensive cameras and one average camera. My print-outs from the canon look far better than the prints from all 3 cameras. The colors are so bright and lively.

When you get one, look for optical zoom. Digital zoom just stretches the picture a bit and makes it look more 'pixely'. If you want to take close-ups, look for the macro feature. I've used other digital cameras but I think the canons are far better than the other ones I used (sony+kodak).