When I purchased a new camera earlier this year, I wanted to split the difference – I liked the size of my old Canon Powershot S330, but I wanted more manual control, as well as some more advanced functions, like image stabilization. I went for the Canon A710IS, and I’ve been quite happy with it. (Extra bonus – powered by plain ol’ AA batteries.) But mkg’s right – if you really want to split the difference, the G7 is the way to go – it’s got most of the high-end features of a DSLR in a compact body.