Which is the best and cheap digital camera?

I'm very happy with my Pentax Optio 550, except autofocus speed (it's a few years old). If I was buying a replacement tomorrow, it would be a Panasonic Lumix with Mega OIS. These (or their equivalent models) are likely out of your price range (it depends on how you define "cheap"). If I was buying a cheap camera, it may well be an Aldi special buy, or a low-end Fuji FinePix (though I'd be put off by having to buy xD cards, as they tend to cost more than some other formats). Card price may well be a consideration as many cameras only come with a stingy 16Mb card to push the price down - if you plan to take the camera on holiday, that is unlikely to be enough without using a low quality mode... my 256Mb is only enough for a week if I don't use maximum resolution.

You need to work out what your priorities are, as the best camera will depend on them:

* Autofocus speed (this is often much worse than compact cameras, so if this is your first digital you may be surprised)
* Image quality (the big one!)
* Manual controls (Do you want to get creative, or will you just point-and-shoot)
* Interface (Do you need to buy a card reader, or does the camera have a USB link)
* Charging (Removable batteries and a separate charger, making it easier to keep running, or charge in-camera which means periods where you can't use it. Does it come with two batteries?)
* Size (Smaller = worse lens, but fits in your pocket)

The best quality pictures come from cannon cameras. Some people advocate mega pixels but a 4 to 5 mega pixel camera can give good quality. The kodak easy share is a good one for the price. The samsung 7 mega pixel seems like a good deal but the pics are not as good i have to use zoom after the pic is taken to get them to look right.

I'd recommend you do some additional searches on comparison shopping sites. The best I've found so far is Shopzilla. (www.shopzilla.com). It did a great job at comparing a ton of different cameras, reviews, pricing, etc. I'd start there.

Samsung DigiMax A402 - Digimax A402 4.0 MegaPixel Digital Camera. 1.8-in. LCD, 5x digital zoom, movie clip mode with sound, 16MB internal memory - $99.76 - Walmart.com

Canon PowerShot A520 - PowerShot A520 4.0 MegaPixel Digital Camera. 1.8-in. LCD. 4x optical 3.6x digital zoom. One-touch print/share button - $179.99 - Circuit City

Sony DSCS600 - DSC-S600 Cyber-Shot 6.0 Megapixel Digital Camera with 2.0-in. LCD. 3x optical 2x digital zoom, Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens. Super HAD CCD Imager - ~~$190 - go to pricegrabber.com