I have the Canon S2-IS which I purchased a couple months ago after hearing good things about it on this board and seeing photos that were taken with it. I am a point and shoot kind of girl, but what impressed me with this camera was the 12x zoom - I still don't know exactly what that means, but I know I can take great photos (by my standards - maybe not by some of the professionals), from really far away. It has image stability, which Kelly Grannell says is a good thing! I also like the swivel display - like that of a video camera.
I take very few pictures that are in the auto mode... if you would like to look at the pics I have taken click on any of the links in my signature - any photos that are dated after February 4th with the exception of Feb 18th, and some Sea World photos from April were taken with the Canon S2-IS.
I will say, that I did not research or try any of the other cameras, this was quite and impusle buy - I had not really been in the market for a new camera - but I have not regretted the impulse!
Here are a couple examples right out of the camera.
Close up - Iris at EPCOT 4/21/06
Zoom - this was taken from the flag pole area of Main Street.