If you noticed, it’s really badly scratched up.  This is a testament to how durable it has been for me.  Through a variety of extreme temperatures, dropped on pavement, beaten, blocking stuff, getting sat on, thrown around by a four-year-old, and gummed by a one-year-old.

By now, the lens is perma-stained with fingerprints, and any liquid (even humidity) immediately gets inside, fogging it for hours.  The batter cover barely holds, and buttons are getting loose.  The zoom dial is even wiggling up and down.

That can’t be good.

Canon SD500 - click for a closer view

One of the cameras that I have been using for the last two years, and my main “carry it around in my pocket” camera is the Canon sd500.  It’s one of the smaller cameras in the digital Elph series (I believe it’s named “IXUS 700” in Europe), and has a CHDK hack available that lets you access more than just the standard powers features of the camera.

This is important – I will be doing a lot of writing about the CHDK hack.  In fact, it’s the single reason why I recommend grabbing this type of camera for the pocket.  It’s not as good as many other cameras, but for $200 you can have a near-professional camera thanks to those hacks.

Main features (which matter to me):

• 7 megapixel
• 37-111 mm (equivalent) lens
• Custom white balance
• Macro and telephoto modes
• Selectable ISO from 50 to 400 (with decent auto detect)
• Good battery life