i use a panasonic lumix tz3, i think they are on tz10 now, mine is a couple of years old now but great pictures and 10 x optical zoom and panasonic use leica lenses which are right up there when it comes to quality, you could pick one up for less that 100 pounds second hand now,
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-Lu...1039848&sr=1-7
the only difference between the tz3 and tz10 is 5 mega pixel, tz3 is 7 , tz10 is 12.1