My Camera is dead, Looking at a compact for around £150

[A210AMG]

The Canon only has a 5 X zoom as the pentax and thats one ugly camera.

I understand for your desert use etc...

I'm going to check the Panasonic Lumix TZ18 / TZ20 and also the
Fujifilm FinePix F550 Digital Camera - Black (16MP, 15x Optical Zoom) 3-inch LCD

Both seem pretty good, good reviews on DP review and big zooms.

 

[Spinal]

The pentax has character Ugly is just a matter of ... oh, ok it's ugly

 

[Godot]

I have had this Canon for a couple of years, extremely pleased with it.
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS review | Expert Reviews

 

[spinaltap]

I'm going to check the Fujifilm FinePix F550 Digital Camera - Black (16MP, 15x Optical Zoom) 3-inch LCD.

I've bought plenty of so-called 'refurb' cameras from the Fuji website and they always arrived as brand-spanking new. Once, I ordered a refurb on the same day as it was first introduced as a new model, but substantially cheaper.

My wife is an infant school teacher, and in the past have ordered a shed load of the Fuji's for her multitude of 4 to 5 year-olds to play around with. You couldn't get a tougher environment for such a product (they have yet to break/destroy one).

I've read several positive reviews on the F550EXR (minimal shutter lag being important for me), and it looks to be a very good model - although I'm tempted by the ken pricing on the F300EXR (I already own a Canon DSLR).

Even so, if you go for the Fuji, make sure you first sign-up on their front page for alerts on special offers. You will then get an email offering 10% off your purchase price on refurbished models.