I personally have always used Canons SLR's and Fuji P&S. Canons are hands down some of the best camera equipment you can by and produce some of the best results.
If my Jazz HDV-178 had a real flash and/or did better indoors with still pictures, I'd say it was my favorite camera. Wonderful little digital camcorder, but low-light still shots leave much to be desired. Though outdoor still shots are terrific. Besides that, out of the cameras I own, I guess it's a tie between my Nikon D40 and my Panasonic Lumix FZ20. The Nikon is a fast camera that does well all around. The Panasonic, while a fair amount slower, has a much better lens(faster, 432mm, no swapping) and is a bit smaller. Hehe, no comparison when I have my 200mm lens on my Nikon