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Originally Posted by stitchbug
I'd prefer something that has manual controls.
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Manual controls on a digicam are generally pretty useless. Most digicams have extremely limited aperture range (1 to 2 stops, with even the widest aperture having high depth of field and significant diffraction) and extremely limited useful ISO range (usually ISO 100-200, before the noise becomes problematic). Exposure control on a digicam is primarily done with shutter speed.
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I would rather spend a bit more and get quality, rather than something that won't last a month. =)
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Well, there's durability and there's image quality. If you want durability, take a look at Olympus's water-proof, drop-resilient, crush-resistant, freeze-resistant Tough line. On the other hand, Oly's digicams arguably have the worst image quality this side of cell phones.
I have the Oly 1030SW (the non-IS predecessor of the Tough 8000), and I love it because it slips into my pants pocket and I can take it anywhere without worrying about the camera. I took it to the beach and out kayaking a couple of weeks ago, then rinsed it in the sink when I got back and it was shiny clean and ready for more. But the image quality is nothing to write home about.
If you don't need to deal with hazardous environments, just about any digicam will last for years. Probably longer than you'll want to use it, because newer models will call to you. Canon and Panasonic are probably the overall tech leaders right now, but the other manufacturers have their niches.
In any event, be aware that a digicam is simply
not a substitute for your DSLR. If it was, DSLR sales would be a lot lower. A digicam is a device for capturing memories to be printed at 4x6, maybe 5x7, or—for photos taken in broad daylight of relatively stationary subjects—even 8x10. They work great for that.