Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 = Great buy!

For 150 bucks, it doesn't get better than this. It has 6x optical zoom, up to 24x digital, and 6 megapixel CCD with a great image stabilizer. You can set the aspect ratio to 4x3, 3x2, or 16x9 for good landscapes photos. Supports ISO 80 - 400. Records video 10fps 320x240 up to 30fps 640x480 (vga) with sound. Has lots of customization options like lighting type, effect, color level, exposure, and tint. Can take up to 60 second exposures. Has double flash for red-eye reduction. Can plug directly in to your TV or computer, or you can use the SD card. Has very good battery life. It lasts for over 10 hours on these 2600 mAh AA batteries I got for it. It also has a close-up mode for photographing small, close objects, and several pre-configured scene modes like candle light, snow, food, and portrait. It has different view modes, so you can analyze the contrast in a picture before you take it, or line it up horizontally so your picture isn't crooked.

It's slightly big by today's standards (see dimensions), mainly in that it's thicker than most cameras because of the 6x optical. It's also a little bit heavier (about half the weight is the batteries). But it feels like a quality piece of merchandise when you hold it, not like a piece of plastic that you're going to break.

It takes up to 1 second to focus before snapping the picture (which really isn't bad) unless you hold the button in half-way so it stays focused the whole time, then it takes picture instantly.

I take this camera with me everwhere, I love it! <a href="http://www.photoblog.com/screamingcactus/2008/01/04/the-sun.html">Here are some pictures I took with it</a>