What camera for Dad?

[Pickers]

Hey guys, me and my sister are looking at getting my dad his first digital camera for a joint fathers day/birthday present. Money is tight at the moment, and we could probably stretch to £60-£70.

Want one that is basic and easy to use (including downloading to computer).

My sister saw Samsung Digimax A503 on ebuyer for 54.57 (-£10 for google checkout). not bad, but no optical zoom which bothers me a little in principle.

Samsung Digimax S500 Digital Camera [5MP 3 X Optical Zoom] £59.99 from amazon

Sony DSC-S600 6mp 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera £70.49 - £10 from ebuyer - looks to have good reviews, but really is a touch too much :S

Anyone else got any ideas? Ideally would be nice to get some rechargeable batteries and a mem card within budget, but we'll see.

[Mark]

Can't knock the Sony having had two and still use them, and I can't knock that price either, but if it's out of budget then that's that. Agree with you on the optical zoom though - digital zoom on most cameras is little more than a marketing gimmick. At that price range though I doubt you'll have much choice unless you go 2nd hand/clearance/B-grade.

[Pickers]

Gone for the bargin samsung - just to give him a taster - I figured he doesnt use zoom on cameras now anyway!