The Kodak has image stabilization like the Canon that was mentioned. This means that it should help in shooting shots that might otherwise become blurry (due to motion or lower lighting) without it. The focal range on the camera is really good at 36-432mm with very fast glass for that range (f2.8-3.7). I will also take images at raw and does have a hotshoe for an auxilary flash (to boost range over the pop-up (10-15 feet effectively).
All that said another very good camera to consider in that similar price range is the Panasonic FZ5. It runs the same focal range with slightly faster glass and will produce slightly sharper images. Just as the Kodak, it also has image stability control and about the same flash range, but has a couple additional preset shooting modes. It does not use RAW but will also capture TIFF instead. The camera itself will also startup quicker which means that you will not miss too many shots.
The Canon S2 IS will also gain you the same as the Panasonic at a slightly higher cost. It has a faster shooting and processing speed, but the Panasonic is slightly better in the time to focus area. It does not capture either TIFF or RAW if you are interested in these formats), but it will produce very accurate color renditions and it has the better movie capability of these 3.
I would really recommend a trip to the local store to see which feels better in your hands, as you really can't go wrong with any of these. Also, you can read up on the qualities of each one, with a highly technical reviews, and view sample shots at either of these sites:
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.dcresource.com/
..or Jeff's recommendations page by type and price:
http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/index.shtml
Good luck and enjoy whichever you decide on.
Mike
