Inexpensive digital camera recs?

[crafty_packrat]

So, I dropped my camera yesterday after taking pictures at a falconry demonstrations (European eagle-owls looks even more startling than Great Horned Owls, because of the orange eyes) and now it takes pictures with lines of distortion across the image.

I checked around online, and this is probably a shutter problem that needs to be dealt with by a professional repair outfit.

However, the camera is about 10 years old, and repairs would cost about $95 by one the estimation of one of the repair places...

So I'm looking for an affordable point-and-shoot camera with a good shutter speed and maybe some options for manual control. I'm most taking pictures of my projects, so it's not like I need anything fancy. Small and rugged would be nice bonuses. Any recommendations?

Comments

camra

[texasgrandma]

Email Steve T and get his advice.

[pinesandmaples]

I've enjoyed my Olympus camera very much. Their v-series cameras offer some very affordable options, and Best Buy is having Black Friday deals online soon. (As well as pretty much every other retailer in the US!) You might be able to find further discounts.