For my hiking trips and everyday life I'm using CASIO Exilim EX S3 for several years (I've ordered it from Japan). At 3.2MP it's a _real_ point-and-shoot camera. No zoom, no focus to worry about (and thus a much more serious battery life - no motor-moving parts). Tiny lag-time. It's the smallest camera (most likely in the world) which produces _really_ good images for web publishing (printing is often limited by 5"x7"). It's so thin and lightweight, - I can carry it in my shirt pocket almost without noticing it's there.

The best thing about this camera is that I'm usually need less then 2(!) seconds to take a shot in any situation (take it out of the pocket, click power, aim, shoot - all with a single hand). I don't even bother to stop moving. All you need, in order to achieve the best quality, is to choose a right preset beforehand (like indoor/outdoor and backlight compensation). The second - It gives me about 300 shots (not using flash) out of a full charge.

The only bad thing, I could mention, is proprietary battery. Yes, it's removable, and I'm carrying a couple of charged spares, but to charge them you'll have to carry either a CASIO docking station (though, it's small enough), or an external battery charger. The second - 80cm minimum distance to the subject. So, for the macro shots I have to carry a macro converter lens.

Random nature image: