Canon PowerShot E1

Opinion: Nicely put together -- we have a range of cameras in my family (it's surprising how many I've bought over the years - most of which are still around somewhere) - this camera is a *surprisingly* well-executed package. Overall it's a pleasure to use with the buttons on the back being comprehensible for my 12-year-old, but it also has manual settings and macro capability for pictures you want to take more care over. Optical viewfinder, SD memory, AA batteries all add to the happiness factor. It is obvious some clued-up designers at Canon put careful thought into the design.

Opinion: I bought this camera while shopping for the (identical, except the body) A1000. Reason was I was looking for a camera running on AA cells, that I can keep as backup where on vacation or take shots in places where a DSRL or a more expensive camera won't be appropriate.
The A1000 was on backorder and the shopman offered me the E1. I must say that I am positively impressed, really. Given the price and the appearance I was expecting a nearly toy camera, then I started using it and found reasonably good picture quality, superfine JPGs (something my other P&S, the Powershot SX 200 is not capable of), and all I was in the need of in a P&S, accessible with a very easy menu. I complemented it with a Metz slave flash unit, to boost its flash capabilities.
The look is something either you love or hate. it does not pass unnoticed, people smile at you when you take out this camera. I have the white one, which is a little annoying when shooting trough a window and the camera reflects itself on the glass, but apart from this I have nothing to complaint.