Looking at it myself to replace my slightly aging Canon Digital Ixus 400
It is a very good camera and I would recommend it but can be a bit daunting for a beginner due to its extensive options. I spent the whole of yesterday learning the options and taking sample photos ... I tested bright daylight to night photos (need a tripod for this) and the results were outstanding. Most of the time you will be using the "normal" mode (with slow sync flash for indoor shots) or "auto" mode .... I doubt many will use the movie mode, with a 4GB SDHC card I get about 15 minutes of movie and 960 photos at the highest 8MP resolution.