I too confess to being more than happy with the Olympus C900Z. Although it's by no means the latest thing around, the results are superb. It's quick, takes excellent pictures, has good battery performance and most importantly, the features are quite easy to master. (It also looks like a "proper" camera
)
I particularly like the MAUS2B USB card reader, that quickly accesses and downloads the pictures. It's MUCH quicker than the serial cable and floppy adapter, and you can upload pics too. A definite "must have" for any camera I'd say, along with a set of good quality rechargeable batteries.
There are gallons fo online review sites with comparative photos so you can see the performance, but in the end, as someone said above, shop according to your budget. There's no point whatsoever in getting the latest thing with the biggest pixel count as it will be outdated soon. (Unless money is no issue.)
My offering would be latest equivalent of the C900Z, not sure what it is but it looks similar and improves on the C920Z that in turn improved on the C900Z
Have fun.
Oops - Forgot to mention that my chum uses the Canon Powershot S10 and raves about it. After playing with it, I'd have to say it's also a good piece of kit. More pricey though being Canon, but worth a look now that it's been out-dated by the S20. It also has onboard USB which would rule out one of my "must haves" !
[This message has been edited by Squiddley (edited 12 October 2000).]