Pentax *ist DS

Pros: compact, well-built, made by Pentax

Cons: none to speak of

Summary: The DS proves that Pentax still make great cameras. It's now been superseded by the DS2, which has a bigger viewfinder and the same excellent 18-55mm kit lens. It's better than the Canon 350D kit lens anyway, and the camera is more solidly built too. Plus the DS is backwards compatible with all old Pentax lenses, which have a well-deserved reputation among photographers. The fact that the DS is only a 6 megapixel camera shouldn't be of concern, unless you want enormous prints, or you frequently crop your images. On the plus side you get more on your memory card, and the camera reads the data faster too.