I am on my third Cannon Power Shot.
Love the camera so much I have been updating as a new model came out
I now have The SX20 which is 12.1 mega pixels.
At least half a dozen people I know have also bought this model, including Ron Foster who takes wonderful pictures. Go to a camera store and try it out. Then go on line an get a better deal.
By the way I took pictures of Fastnet in Ireland from shore (8 miles away) with the previous model.