I carry Canon Power Shot A1000 IS in my purse all the time.  It is so light weight and compact it's hardly noticable and I never "wish" I had my camera with me anymore!  This camera is so easy to use, the quality of the photos is amazing; colors are bright and realistic. 

On a recent vacation we visited a garden, I took several photos of some unusual tulips hoping that they would come out o.k.; we were so amazed at the photos when we viewed them on the computer that we had several blown up and framed.  We gave them as gifts to friends who had been on vacation with us.  This is the quality...