I've had 2 Canons and they have performed flawlessly. The latest is Canon PowerShot A1000 IS (a 10 megapixel camera). It also does somewhat decent video too, but you should invest in a 2-4Gb SD digital card for storage. You can get a good deal at Staples if one is in your area. (http://www.staples.com). That is where I have bought the last 2. Before the Canons I had a Sony, good images, a little bulky.

Regardless of the brand you'll want one with a viewfinder and not just a LCD screen. Reason is when you're in bright light (which is a lot when traveling) it's very hard to see the LCD sometimes.
Source(s):
staples.com

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I can't tell you a specific model to buy...the targets are always moving, and what is available in your area may not be available in mine.. but here are my guidelines/suggestions for things to consider that will help you pick out a camera:

1) Stick with a well-known name brand. The no-name brands that you may have never heard of tend to put out cheap cameras that often times have very poor optics.

2) digital zoom means nothing. what matters is optical zoom. ignore digital zoom numbers when making your final choice.

3) Look for as high a resolution as you can get for your price point. The images will look better over the long term (think very long term) when you can get the best camera/resolution/quality you can afford.

4) Do you already have any flash memory from other devices or a previous camera? SD? CF? xD? Memory Stick? You _might_ wish to stick to a format that you already have and/or is interchangable with your PDA, etc.
Remember, whatever camera you get you will probably want or _need_ to buy an additional memory card. Note: these things go on sale pretty frequently (at least the CF and SD formats) so you should be able to get expansion cards fairly inexpensively.

5) Is size important to you? Do you want to be able to stick it in a very tight/tiny pants pocket? Your shirt pocket? Or is your jacket pocket or purse okay?

6) Batteries. Many cameras (especially the small/compact ones) use nonstandard battery shapes. Often times these batteries are expensive and only available as rechargables. In such cases you need to have an extra battery or two on you all the time already charged to have as a back-up. The newer and custom batteries tend to be expensive.

Personally I try to stick with a camera that can take AA size batteries, because I know that AA batteries are available everywhere. With AA batteries you may still have to buy more expensive lithium batteries for your camera to have enough power to take more than a couple of shots, but at least you know you can find them all over the place. There is a new format, the CR-V3 that is basically two AA lithiums together in one package. This is a good page about the CR-V3 format: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/rcrv3.html

7) Look around at all the local stores before you buy. Different stores may have different models on display. Don't be afraid to buy online! You have a chance of finding the cheapest price, buying without shipping, and without tax, etc. and even finding additional promotional deals (package free with camera, rebates, etc.)

8) look at how the cameras are constructed. if the store model is broken in store, that typically means it's not a good design. just because one of a line is broken in store does not mean all that brand's cameras are bad, it may just be a bad design for that model.

Then once you figure out your opinions or needs on a few key things: size, battery type, flash memory type, and possibly the amount of zoom you are looking for, that should be able to help you get the number of options available to you whittled down to just a few choices to pick from... and then you can go from there.. comparing price, feel (that is -- how it feels in your hand, if you feel comfortable holding it/taking pictures), build quality (does it feel solid and well built? does it feel more durable than your other choices? do you think the battery or flash memory compartment hinge is going to break easily? etc. etc.) , aesthetics (does it matter to you if it's black, or grey, or pink, etc.?) ...
Source(s):
I'm a photographer, long experienced with cameras and computers, etc.

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