Hi bigjohn,
I haven't shopped for these in a while. I have a Canon digital elph that I bought about two years ago. It is only about 2.2 megapixel with a 3x optical zoom. I love that thing. The best part is that it is small enough to take anywhere, so I take a lot more pictures than if I had to have a bag (as opposed to a pocket) to haul the thing in. 5x7's still look pretty darn good to my eye.
It seems to me that bigger optical zooms give you a much bigger camera. It might not matter to you.
I really like the Canon; it's very solid and capable. Easy to use. Great software. I especially like that it comes with a cable that allows me to plug the camera straight into the RCA jacks of a TV. I know there are lots of other more elegant ways to move the data around, but if you don't have your computer or a card reader or something handy, it's great to show the pictures you just took in slideshow mode on a TV.
Good luck!
