I'm extremely fond of my <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Konica_Minolta/minolta_dimagea1.asp">DiMAGE A1</a>, but bear in mind that this is my ~first camera.

To address the issues brought up here: There are dedicated adjustment wheels for aperture/shutter settings, a manual-focus ring, manual-operated zoom, and digital overrides for all of the above (except for the zoom; there's no motorized zoom option.) 5mp is enough to print 8.5x11, I hear.

I love the image stabilization, too. My <a href="http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~gvidas/photos/guitarist.jpg">dark/poorly-lit photos</a> are typically blurry due to subject movement more than camera shake.

I do wish I had a true SLR, for the variety of lenses. And there is a slight pause between pressing the shutter button and taking the photo, but it's minor enough that I can ignore it most of the time.

I also have a Pentax K1000 that I love and swear by. Built like a tank, totally manual, and totally reliable.

Digital photography is one heck of a lot easier to burn a lot of shots with, but you learn to be more careful and selective when you're using actual film that requires actual money and time to develop.

I miss having access to a darkroom.