Canon PowerShot A720 IS

Minor update to the A710 IS offers a strong feature set (including stabilized 6x zoom) and good degree of user control at a competitive price. It isn't the smallest or most powerful camera in the World, (or even in the Canon range), but it's a great starting point for someone wanting to learn more about photography without breaking the bank. Image quality is suprisingly good and despite the rather cheap construction it's responsive and reliable.