Fujifilm FinePix S700 (Black)

Pros: Inexpensive

Cons: Not exactly compact

Summary: I find this camera to be very good. I researched seven other comparable cameras before choosing this one.
[ Finepix S700, Olympus Stylus 780, Canon Powershot A710 IS, Powershot S3 IS, Panasonic Lumix Dmc-F28, Sony CyberShot DSC-H2, and the Nikon Coolpix P5000 ]

I really liked the Nikon, but the Finepix S700 gave me everything that I wanted for a much cheaper price.This unit uses both the xD and sD memory card. Continuous shooting is at 1.4 fps, ISO is up to 1600, picture stabilization is solid, and it is lightweight. Shutter speed is at 1/1000 vs. 1/2000.
There is a dual shot mode that will take two consecutive pictures, with one press of the button. One will be without a flash, and the other will have a flash. You can then either keep them both or just the best one.
The iFlash is awesome. The camera can sense the surrounding light, and will flash if necessary with only the intensity needed to get a great picture. The pictures are beautiful. If you only point and shoot, you will like 90% to 95% of your pictures.

I would say that this camera is at the low end of the scale with regards to price (from free up to $1,000), and near the high end of the scale with regards to photography technology (powder flash up to U2 spy plane camera).