I’m a long-time fan of Canon’s point-and-shoot digital cameras. I’m not a long-time fan of their numbering schema. There are (at present) four “lines”, the 7xx, 8xx, 9xx, and 1xxx. There is no single commonality across any camera within any line. The “current” models for each are the 780 (newer than the 790!), 890, 960, 970, and 1200. As far as I can tell, there is no predictability nor rhyme/reason to any model, nor any way to figure out which unit is better than another, without exhaustive research.
So, if you are like me, and want to look into purchasing a new Canon camera, you will rapidly find yourself frustrated beyond belief. My friends, here is your cheat sheet. Please note pricing for outdated models is based on what I could find out there, and I highly recommend *not* buying anything more than 2 years old (marked in gray – the orange columns are the “current” models)!
Here’s a direct link to the sheet for those who want to sort or search through it. I hope this is useful for anyone trying to buy a camera. If you have any other suggestions, please add your thoughts in the comments!