Compact digital cameras come in basically two different groups: the kind that concentrate on size and the kind the concentrate on features/customization (eg Canon SD1000 vs Canon G9). You have to decide which is more important to you. How much control do you want over shutter speed, and aperture? How important is the ability to save in RAW format, etc? Once you know these answers you can decide which 'class' of camera you're looking at.

Canon has a great site for comparing the features on their cameras here: http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ProductCatIndexAct&fcategoryid=113

Personally I don't like features like that. To me one of the biggest advantages of a digital camera is being able to bring the pictures into [insert photo editor of choice] and adjust exposure / fix mistakes. Because of that I don't like the idea of sending the shots straight to a printer (but this is of course personal preference).

I don't have any experience with stitch assist or with various numbering schemes.

Another point to consider is low-light performance. Most compacts perform pretty poorly at high ISOs, but there is some variance from model to model, so that might be something to consider. Another great newish feature is "image stabilization" / "vibration reduction" that can do a great job of improving picture quality in poor lighting, but this may be out of your price range.

When it comes to brands you can't go wrong with any of the major players (Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc) but it seems like Canon pretty well dominates the digital point-and-shoot market right now. I have a Nikon SLR, but a Canon point & shoot.

I like the quality of Canon PowerShot. It is also fairly easy to use. Some models can be controlled via computer and usb, some can't. I happen to own one that can't. But sometimes I borrow a camera from my school and I make stop motion animation with it.

Stitch assist is good if you need it. I guess the idea is that your stitching software does a better job if the images has been taken with a camera with a good stitch assist feature. Even if you stitch them manually in Gimp, I guess it's easier if you used the assist thing in your camera in the first place. But I guess a tripod is quite as good as any stitch assist feature in a camera. In most cases.

I guess most digital cameras use standard batteries, usually AA R6.

In addition to the site FrankyR's posted, DPReview (Digital Photography Review) has a lot of in very depth reviews of a huge range of digital cameras.

Well, you don't need a stitch assist for that :-p

Anyway I don't have a stitch assist on my EOS 400D, I just have two eyes and a brain to remember from where I start and I end each photos.

Stitch assist is just a marketing tool, nothing else.

EDIT: And in that particular case, I would still use my tripod to keep the same elevation / angle, and depending of the area I have in front of the wall, I would use one of the following techniques:

• Shooting from a distant point of view, Arcsoft Panorama Maker or any average stitching tool will correct the perspective for you.

http://www.allegro.cc/files/attachment/595389

• Shooting along a line, keeping the same elevation and angle. Using the same parameter and software it would produce the same final view as the first.

http://www.allegro.cc/files/attachment/595390

EDIT: I remember having a stitch tool on my Ixus 40... It's, well, shit.

Hi. Thinks for the tips. I'll definitely give the camera-review sites a good look. It seems like Canon Powershot series is the most popular for my pricerange, so I'll consider a Canon. Have had a look at their website and have narrowed the choice down to about 5 models. This camera will be loaned and eventually be given to my parents, so ease of use is a criterion.

Here is my shortlist of Canon models:

• A470: Easy to use and the cheapest of the lot. However, unlike the other models, it cannot create movies with sound (but it can still do sound-clips and silent movie-clips). Were it not for this fact, I'd probably choose the A470. Also, it's the only one without a viewfinder, which I've been told is a problem because the LCD screen is hard to see in sunny weather. Also lacks image-stabilisation.

• A570IS: This seems to have the most features but was not designed for ease of use. Is also one of the more expensive ones and probably a bit over-the-top if giving to my parents, but I'd probably consider getting that one even if I wasn't eventually going to consider giving it to my parents.

• A590IS: Same thoughts as A570IS

• A720IS: Same thoughts as A570IS (has the best optical zoom of the lot and is the most expensive)

• A580: A good compromise between the above cameras that has "Ease of use" as one of it's selling points. Also has excellent battery-life. However, lacks image-stabilisation.

Currently, the A580 seems to be winning, but the A470 is tempting with it's low price. How important is image-stabilisation? Is it a non-issue if a tripod is being used?

Also, I've discovered that there exist monopods that double as walking-sticks. Such a thing would be handy when walking in the mountains but are monopods any better than not having support in the first place (they somehow don't seem as stable as tripods)?

As I said, this camera is eventually going to be given to my parents, so ease of use is of importance. Knowing them, they're likely to have trouble removing and inserting a memory-card, so using photo-editors is beyond them. They've already got a PictBridge capable printer. Fortunately, nearly every Canon camera has one.

What sort of features? Does it have something to change the naming-scheme as described in the original post?

The cameras that both do and don't have a Stitch Assist feature come with a program called PhotoStitch. Is that a program that contains image-recognition software that can automatically adjust the photos to fit and how would on-camera Stitch Assist help out?

AE.

PS. Johan: Was that pic taken as a series of stitched photos?

That was not a stitched image. Anyone can see that. That was just an image of an object that could be photographed using stitch assist while moving the camera parallel along the wall between the shots.

They are. Unless you're going for multi-second exposures, a monopod is almost as good as a tripod (but much more portable).

Get a Canon .. and IF you want to go do some real photography ( anything more than holiday shoots) get an SLR ! sooner or later you will want to fix another lens on it . and even more the quality of the CCD in Digital SLR's is much better than those of simple cameras, I'm not talking about pixels here.

I have a Canon EOS 400D SLR

One of my lenses (Nikon 55-200 VR) has image stabilization built into it and I find it to be very effective. It gives me 2-3 more stops. I've never tried any compacts with IS/VR, but the IS in Canon's SLR lenses is very good.

Yes, IS is a non-issue when you're using a tripod. In fact, it's recommended that you turn off IS when the camera is mounted on a tripod.

You can attach external lenses on the non-SLR powershot cameras.

I dunno, the only thing I haven't been able to do with my cheap ol' powershot is take good pictures of the eclipse with a longer exposure time. I could never justify spending that much money on an SLR, and in all cases I can think of, the photos from my non-SLR have been awesome and of more than sufficient quality.

That really depends on the ground you use to photograph. In rocky environments, for example, it's not always possible to mount a tripod, especially cheaper ones (you'd need one that gives you much control for this). A monopod may let you increase shutter time a bit, but quite frankly, I don't know if it'd be worth the investment. I'm quite happy with my tripod, which so far I could mount everywhere, so I never really had the need for a monopod -- it's either a tripod or none at all for me.

If you've got shaky hands, a monopod might help, but then again, image stabilisation would be the better option, imho. The only reason I can think of why one would consider a monopod is that they are mostly easier to carry around than a "full-fledged" tripod.

I hereby recommend going for "the real deal" (a tripod).