I've read a lot of reviews on budget compact cameras and I finally settled on a Canon A570 IS. It has a lot going for it: Digit III, image stabilization, optical viewfinder, AA batteries (preferred due to availability of batteries and other reasons), SDHC memory card compatability, comparably fast shot-to-shot speed, and high quality images. PADI, the well know SCUBA divers organization, recommended this camera to its members because it handles very well and takes great pictures underwater. It was also highly recommended by a reviewer with dpreview.com (the review goes into great detail on the camera's functionality and compares it to a few other very popular cameras). The camera also has a great ergonomic feel and balance, much better than the ultra slim and sub-compact cameras like the Canon SD1000. Just purchased it from Amazon for a great marked down price of $159, and it comes with a free 2GB SD card. Great value for the price. Good luck hunting (which is half the fun anyway).