Kodak's EasyShare Z915 is the winner in that unfortunate classification. The camera has a solid hefty to it, and the zoom lens extends and retracts with smooth, reassuring efficiency, but the grip is covered by this hard, textured plastic that makes it feel more like a toy than something you just dropped two Benjamins on. Add some cramped ergonomics to the mix and this is definitely not something that falls to hand comfortably.

If you can get past that, you get specs comparable to the same-priced Canon, but with more than twice the zoom and effective stabilization that makes even the 350mm end of that lens quite usable freehand. It lets in a little less light than the Canon, but again ISO 800 is okay if you don't mind a hint of grain. This one is also packing AA power, and has the hump to prove it.