Many women like the ultra-thin (less than 1 inch thick) cameras. But in this price range they produce a softer picture. The Konica-Minolta DiMAGE X31 is an example.

That takes you to the 1.5 inch thick cameras.
The Nikon Coolpix 3200 will produce the quality photos you want. And the shutter lag is less than most.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_cp3200.asp

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