What I mean by a “good” point-and-shoot 35mm camera

Over the last five years I’ve been trying out more point-and-shoot cameras — the kind you find cheap on eBay or sitting on a thrift-store shelf. Cameras like these are always a roll of the dice in terms of the quality of images they’ll produce, but that’s part of the fun. I’m looking for “good” point-and-shoots. Your definition of “good” may not be the same as mine. You might be chasing that Lomography look. You might seek out a luxurious usage experience. You might just want to have fun. I’m looking for cameras that get out of my way and punch above their weight class. I don’t need Leica Summicron image quality — just cameras that, when everything comes together, can produce an image I’d be happy to print at 8×10 or even 11×17 and hang in my home. When you read my point-and-shoot reviews, know that I’m judging the camera by a small set of criteria that lead to easy, pleasing images. Most point-and-shoot cameras fail not because they lack features, but because they fail one of these…