What is the best brand, easy to use, economial brand of digital camera to buy?

A couple of years ago I bought my Wife a Fuji S3000 and after that my sister-in-law bought one, then my mother-in-law got one for her husband for a gift.

My brother is looking at a new Fuji S9100 (S9000).
These look and feel just like a regular 35mm camera, we don't like those little box/square ones, they fall out of your pocket, easy to lose and if you have big hands or fingers those little buttons are hard to use.

NOTE: the 3000 is a 3.2MP, 5000 is a 5MP and the 9000 is a 9PM.

olympus i have 1 its very easy in the eye

I started out with Sony.
Then...progressed to Canon.