riverdog,

Buying a digital camera is just like buying a computer. Everyone and their dog will tell what is best, but not really *why* it's best. Like computers, there's really not a *best* answer. At best, you will buy a camera that has the features you want and fits within your price budget.

Anyone interested in purchasing digital cameras should bookmark/favorite this site. It's the best out there for camera reviews.

http://dpreview.com/

Next, check the Search feature of this site, as well as ifish. This subject has come up before. I seem to recall a lot of good information came out of the discussions.

I ended up purchasing a Canon PowerShot G1. I chose that camera over the Nikon 990 and the Olympus 3030z. I did the reserach and played with all three cameras. That last sentence was important - I HIGHLY recommend to anyone that you physically get to play with the camera you are going to buy. It makes a huge difference.

Parker