As mentioned in my earlier blog post, going to Asia was tough on my tech. My old Casio Exilim was a goner, but perhaps it was time for me to move on anyway. I took many of your suggestions and got a Canon PowerShot Digital Elph!

I've had the SD790 IS for a few weeks now and I have to say that I really like it. My initial worries were centered around the Canon wheel [the rotating mechanism that allows users to cycle through options] and the movie mode. Some reviews highlighted the ill placement of the mic, causing bad sound that I haven't encountered so far. The wheel is actually a nice feature with good control but does take a little getting used to as its not as rigid as a button. My Exilim also had a Lithium-Ion battery which works well when it is always charged and ready.

Since it is 10 megapixels, I would love to print out some pictures and see if there is a noticeable change from my 8.1MP Exilim. I don't print super large images so perhaps the difference will be negligible. The 3.0" LCD screen provides a close to true depiction of what the photo will look like on the computer, and the lines as well as the colors on the photographs are sharp and vivid. I do like the different photo settings tailored to the picture setting but need to remember to change it accordingly. The zoom is decent for an ultra-compact camera as are the flash capabilities. One thing I don't miss about the old Exilim is the external light sensor that would automatically shut off the flash and not allow pictures to be taken--a horrible feature.

I would still love to get a DSLR someday, but for now this solves my needs. Plus, it was a great price at Costco, a factor that won me over completely. I look forward to taking more snaps with my new Canon and sharing them with you on my Flickr. Thanks again for making such a great suggestion!