The big question when you're buying a digital camera is what the person is likely to do with it. If someone really likes technology or photography, a camera with more options is probably good. Other people would like to push a button and get a decent photo without messing with the controls. For them, a point and shoot with a simple interface is probably the best bet. The Canon A60 would fall into this category. However, you might be able to find a better price on it than Staples. For example, Royal Camera (
http://www.royalcamera.com) is selling the A60 for $135 and VIP Camera has it for $115. (
http://vipcamera.com). I've heard that Canon and Nikon make the best digital cameras, though other people here may disagree.