Either of Canon's or Nikon's prosumer cameras will do a good job. Stick to the advanced five to eight megapixel models in each manufacturer's line. Also, purchase a tripod, an extra battery and more memory.

I'm going to risk committing heresy here and recommend something a little different. First off, yes the Nikon and Canon Point & Shoot cameras are excellent. But if your friend doesn't know what kind of camera to get and is heading off on a cross-country trip, I'd focus more on form factor than on anything else.

Practically anything out there over a certain price point is going to take pretty darned good pictures. In the hands of an inexperienced shooter, the images from an old Nikon 880 ($99 used from my local camera shop last week) is going to give much the same image quality as a brand new Nikon D200 with the kit lens.

But the little camera is going to be a LOT easier to carry around and to use. For that reason it is actually MORE likely to bring home better pictures simply because it's handy to have with you and will be used more.

Look for something small that will fit in a shirt pocket. Look for something with a lens that's automatically covered when the camera's off. Look for something with a BIG screen on the back to make viewing easier. All of these things will make for a more relaxed and enjoyable experience and if your friend is having fun with the camera then pixel count is of less concern.

Now there are some wonderfully capabable P&S cameras out there, but I'd recommend going with "small and simple" over "large and feature-laden" in this situation. They also make tiny tripods which will also fit into a shirt pocket. Keeping it small means your friend will be more likely to have it handy should it be needed.

Batteries are critical. One in the camera and one in the charger should be enough, but be certain to get rechargables and the charger to go with them. If your friend is shooting a lot, perhaps one in the camera, one in the pocket, and one in the charger would be the way to go.

In my experience, folks on vacation get more enjoyment out of a simple camera than out of a more capable but more complicated one.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will make sure he has extra batteries, a tri-pod and lots of storage.

I think that I have narrowed the choices down to three cameras:

Nikon Coolpix L1 Point and Shoot Digital Camera,
6.2 Megapixel, 5x Optical, 2.5" LCD

Nikon Coolpix S4 Slim Point and Shoot Digital Camera, 6
Megapixel, 10x Optical, 4x Digital Zoom, 2.5" LCD Screen

Canon Powershot A700 Digital Camera Kit 6.0 Megapixel,
6x Optical, 4x Digital Zoom, 2.5" LCD Screen

From what I can tell these cameras are similar in size, zoom capabilities and megapixels. The Canon has more features that will probably never be used and is the most expensive of the three.

Does anyone have an opinion about these specific cameras? Or can someone recommend a camera that may be a better choice?

ChipDoc, do you have a specific camera in mind?

I agree wholeheartedly with ChipDoc, smaller is definatly better in this situation - sounds like your friend isn't very experienced. Bigger & more complex can come later.

There's usually a huge price jump after 3x zoom, so 3x may be the way to go - on vacation shots, very often a few steps will be all the additional zoom needed. There is also a fairly large price jump for the larger Mega Pixil cameras, and let's face it, 3-5 MP is plenty.

I would suggest taking a very serious look at folded-optic cameras such as the still-available Minolta X series, the Sony DSC-T5, Nikon S-1 or Fuji Z1 - there are others, the advantage being that the zoom lens never extends from the body into the dangerous world. There is also the Pentax WPi with non-extending lens and the advantage of being waterproof.

A small camera such as ChipDoc reccomends, in a shirt pocket will return great memories. I reccomend putting a neck lanyard on the camera so it can't take a dive out of the shirt pocket & get broken.

The main point is that the camera should be always available: impress on your friend that often the best memories are things other than monuments & such - a pretty cloud or the colors in an oily puddle are also great shots.

If your friend is new to photography, skip the tripod, or at least any large one; do suggest a really small tripod, though, for setting up the camera to take self-timer shots including the photographer in the photo and such. Something in a pocket, nothing that has to be lugged around. If it has to be carried seperatly, it will be in the car when needed.

Do not get one of those tripods with flexible legs: the legs often decide to flex on their own, ruining the shot. I've had great results with the little Ultra-Pod with the 3 folding legs and a tiny ball-head.

I travel all over the world with just such a setup, and have no desire for more complex equipment.

If your friend has a good hassle-free photographic experience, there may be another serious photo-hobbyist in the world!