I bought my first and only digital camera six years ago for about $750.  It was a top-o-the-line Kodak.  I'd tell you which model but it's MIA.  (We moved six months ago and we're still unpacking).  Rather than turn the garage upside down I'm inclined to hop downtown and buy a new one.  The ol' Kodak served it's purpose well but it had pretty much reached antique status anyway.  So.....since you guys keep me informed on everything under the sun (I lurk mostly ), who makes the best digital for a few hundred bucks?  I've been out of the technological loop for a while (been building a damn house).  Olympus?  Nikon? Sony? Canon? I don't need gee-whiz gimmicks.  Just great resolution and color.  That's not asking too much is it?  I'm off to surf search engines.  I'll check back in a bit.  THANKS!  

I would just say this. Its more the quality of the lens than all the extra mp unless your
doing huge blow ups. The Carl Zeiss lens on some of the Sonys are top quality. 3-5 mp range is more than adaquate for ED pictures. Optical zoom always before digital zoom. You also got to like to carry it around. As far as card media. Who knows. I thought Compact Flash were going to be out by now and Secure Digital was going take over but now the market seems saturated with different media cards. The other important detail is the user interface, ie is it easy or a pain to get to know.

Hope this helps. IMO Id get a Sony. They boot real quick and dont have the shutter lag of some models and decent battery/photo life.

You can get a Canon A80 4MP camera for under $300 and it's a great camera for the money.
If you can afford a bit more, the Sony V1 5MP is around $500 and has a lot of cool features as well as a Carl Zeiss lens.  Above that, you can get a Nikon 8MP for around $800 now and, if you can afford it, the Canon Digital Rebel DSLR is around $900.
Those would be my reccomendations, depending on how much you want to spend.

http://www.dpreview.com/ is a great site.

Personally I just took this on a month trip to Europe and LOVED it.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Kodak/kodak_dx6490.asp

I asked my friends the one thing they wish thier camera had, and almost all of them said a better zoom. The Kodak has a 10x zoom and a nice lens.

I think the DX6490 is being replaced by a newer, 5MP version:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Kodak/kodak_dx7590.asp

I have a 2  mp Fuji that works great. $800 is in the AR price range. If I drop that kind of cash I want something that goes "bang". Check out www.bestbuy.com. They have several Fuji's listed. These should go for about $100-120

Quoted: You can get a Canon A80 4MP camera for under $300 and it's a great camera for the money. If you can afford a bit more, the Sony V1 5MP is around $500 and has a lot of cool features as well as a Carl Zeiss lens.  Above that, you can get a Nikon 8MP for around $800 now and, if you can afford it, the Canon Digital Rebel DSLR is around $900. Those would be my reccomendations, depending on how much you want to spend.

++++++1 The Canon A series is consistently ranked as the best for the buck.

Quoted: I have a 2  mp Fuji that works great. $800 is in the AR price range. If I drop that kind of cash I want something that goes "bang".

Man cannot live by ARs alone.

Are you looking for a point and shoot or a digital SLR?  Either way, go to Techbargains.com and check out the deals and reviews before you buy - it will save you $$$.