I agree with Trainman's assessment of the Canon A540.
Our film camera died and we replaced it with the A540. Its about 2/3 the width of the Canon Film camera it replaced. One thing I have learned is that having the display does not mean you wont miss capturing the perfect moment. "Damn! the kids looked away!". At least you know right away that you missed the shot!
Nice camera but it goes through alkalines rather quickly. Switching to lower voltage NiMH batteries means there a lot of lag when using the flash.
I would rather see the camera another 1/2 inch wider if it meant using 4 batteries instead of two.
That's why I prefer the Canon powershot camera family with their Li-On battery over the A series, even if they are/were slightly more expansive.