1.  Pen-Cam by Aiptek  1.5 megapxl 1999 it was $169. got it for  xmas it lasted 3 months- it cant take a lot of jiggling in a camera bag. it was a great lo-res camera with the COOLest movie making/animation ability.  there was a " jazz' camera which looked alot like the Pen-Cam, but didnt have the ability to save the pix.
2.  Sony DSC P50 2.0 megapxl  got it in Nov 2000 it was $299, the extra 2hr battery was $99 and the warranty was $100 for 2 yrs.  the fix-it warranty was thru the store- Magnolia Hi-Fi is the best place to buy electronics- tv, stereo, cameras in Seattle WA.   This camera 's resolution was fine for what i bought it for, parties, the web, emailing, playing around with photoshop, not really for fine art purposes. the newspaper i shot for, went to digital so it served the purpose.  The P50 had a glass lens, it was soon discontinued and it's replacement was a flimsy version of it with a plastic lens-- all the sony's which followed of higher resolution were AWFUL!!! this was one of the better cameras!!!  The P50-lasted me for 9588 photos! the sony reps tell u that the camera will last 3yrs of hard use or 10,000 pictures. My P50 's lifetime was Nov 2000 -- June 2004, when it started to shift towards green and i sent it in for recalibration, which made it worse, they made it brighter in contrast that's all, still green.  I ended up selling it on eBay for $55.  that's how fast digi equipment depreciates, all the gear in the bag cost me close to $575 total...
3. Cheez-foxz 2.0 -  Sharper Image $109 last one in the NW!  no zoom, no frills, but very thin and covert!  the ultimate spy cam!  the instructions were sparse and difficult to figure out.. the software that came with it was difficult to use , if u transfer  to your computer without the software they are in RAW format, if u use the software-its in bmp format.  in their software, u have to open it as bmp and save it in jpeg inorder to open in other programs or print it. the Cheez is now available at ToysR Us in an upgraded version 3.1mp and 4.0mp at $88 or so.
4. Minolta Dimage 6.0 mp -- $350  august 2004--now its a great camera, but at times it's too sharp! the movie and audio only features are fantastic, it has full manual controls up to 3 users, and a fast glass lens.  it takes 3 types of memory cards, older memory sticks, mmc- multimedia cards, and SD cards.  I like it alot, but still use the cheez  for street shooting and candid party shots. [it's now 2007, and in March i almost lost my outer lens ring that seems to protect a circuit board! my lens is no longer ' centered ' and i can see more of it in the lcd viewfinder. ]  I just found out that this model has been discontinued!! I LOVE THIS CAMERA!! i guess minolta is out of business. boo-hoo!
5. 2008:    I am using a Pentax K110d slr digital - 6mp. this is the best, the prints look like a 35mm film shot, not too sharp. i use old lenses on it as the 35-80zoom that came with it is kinda warpy.  the main problem : it cannot handle seattle and portland's contrasty skies when its rainy out or high sun times.  sunsets suck, and worse the mystery spots from hell on the field of view - the sky! - gotta blow out the sensor with a  rubber -"nose siphon".  takes Lithium Ion AA batteries in a fast charger.  best Li-on's are  Ene-loop brand

VIDEO

1. RCA EZ 105- a video clip camera on HighQuality, it performs the best - playback is dvd quality, color is superb, easy to use.  now the model is fruity colored and white- which stands out when u are trying to be covert.  find an old model like this.