I am very familiar with Canon's Powershot range of cameras. I just ordered 46 of last year's Powershot SX110 at a price of just over $200. It is a great camera, has a RAW hack, has all kinds of manual controls, and is very compact. I have been shooting with it for the past 2 weeks and am very impressed.
Last year my students had a combination of G5's, Powershot A590 IS and Powershot A720 IS cameras. There is no comparison to any of the Powershot A series or S series cameras to the G series in terms of reliability and ruggedness. Additionally that flip screen and viewfinder will be an incredible asset to the longevity of the camera.
The tendency to remove the viewfinder and rely solely on the LCD display for image making is a bad trend IMO. The reliance on the LCD eats batteries for lunch. Additionally, we lost 3 of the A590's last year to what I call 'LCD Crunch'. This is where the camera is basically 'sandwiched' and the LCD cracks and the camera is rendered useless.
The G11 camera, with it's swivel screen basically protects itself from scratches and LCD Crunch. I actually waited two generations of G series cameras to get this one. It, by far has the features that I have been waiting for. The G10 was close...dang close. This is the first camera that I had pre-ordered in many, many years.
If your budget requires you to be within the price-point of the S or A series Powershot cameras, they are indeed VERY useful and incredibly capable. Frankly, with the RAW hack, this SX110 is basically a stripped down G10 in a slightly flimsier package. Many of my students will be using the RAW hack when we start editing heavily in Lightroom. Some won't care, but for those who do, it'll be a great option.
Since we had to buy so many cameras this year, the SX110 was the camera that most closely fit what our budget could take and what my class requirements were. We can amortize the purchase price over the course of 3 years and have them paid for with lab fees. These cameras will easily fit the level of shooting my students will arrive at during the time they use them. After the class where they use this camera, many, if not all of those students will graduate to a DSLR that can shoot RAW.
There are a lot of considerations for anyone to weigh when deciding the purchase of a camera. Buying any one of the Canon Powershot cameras really isn't anything to be looked down upon. The fact that you're buying a camera that you will carry with you everywhere, learn how to use it, and tell the story of your life is the best reason of all.
Happy shopping!
