Canon PowerShot A590 IS

Pros: Full manual capability, lots of extras mean you can do a lot with this camera. Easy mode too for beginners.

Cons: AA batteries can be a negative; slow flash recycling; plastic body

Summary: I love this camera so far - it is easy for a beginner to take great pictures right out of the box, but it has full-manual capability and tons of features to give you full creative control. I purchased this camera to take to Africa, so the AA batteries were important since there won't be reliable electricity to recharge. I'm a former professional photographer, so I want the creative freedom this camera provides. The image stabilization makes up for the slow flash recycling in some ways, since in many low-light situations you won't necessarily need a flash for sharp images. I would recommend picking up a 4GB SD card so that you have adequate image storage. If you are familiar with Canon's user interface, it's pretty easy to learn how to use the A590's features. However, if you are only looking for a quick and simple snapshot camera, the Kodak interface is probably easier. Seems like this is Canon's typical high-quality camera in an affordable (if maybe a little less stylish) package.