1) Canon Powershot A540 Digital Camera
This camera is a steal, as it's easy to find it for under $200. It delivers 6 megapixels, a 4x optical zoom, an oversized 2.5-inch LCD screen, a 9-point autofocus and 21 shooting modes. To find a camera with these features at this price was unheard of mere months ago. If you want to get a load of bang for your digital camera buck, you can hardly find a better choice. As a bonus, you can get a [link url=http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-1726759-10386534?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wolfcamera.com%2Fproduct%2F441160074.htm&cjsku=441160074" target="_top"]waterproof case[/link] to convert it to an underwater camera.

2) Samsung Digimax S500 Digital Camera
For $100-something, you get 5.1 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom. This fun, easy-to-use camera also features a 2.4-inch LCD screen. This camera features a special effects button, as well as family-friendly shooting settings (like night, portrait and children). It also catches video clips at a rate of 30 frames per second. This is an ideal budget camera for parents.

3) HP (Hewlett-Packard) Photosmart E327 Digital Camera
It is rare to find 5 megapixels packed into a $100-ish pricetag, but this camera does it. There aren't too many fancy extras (and the zoom is just [link url=http://cameras.about.com/cs/digitalcamera101/g/gdigitalzoom.htm]digital zoom[/link]). But this is a great basic camera, easy for beginners to use, and you can actually get nice prints. It also shoots video. This is a bargain!