Right, time for an upgrade! (i think xd)

Righteo! Well, I think its time i got an upgrade on my digital camera, I've had my current one for around 3 years having recieved it as a present from my mum. The camera would be the Olympus AZ-1. The camera still works, I just want a new one >.>.

Right, well, I've done some research but that just left me more confused. I think I still want a point and shoot camera as, thats what I literally do. My budget would be around £200. The types of photos I normally take would probably be.. just things I see everyday, cars, parks, animals, people xd ( not sure if I'm allowed to link to other sites, but heres my deviant art for a few exampls of what i take pictures of http://mushi1.deviantart.com/). I'd ideally want something that would fit into my pocket for that reason and I'd want it to have decent battery life ideally with a rechargable battery.

and oh, the images aren't normally printed off, rather just pasted around the net on the many different blogs I have. Lastly! I was hoping for a 4x optical zoom, but that isn't that important.

Mushi-
Welcome to the site! No problem on linking to your deviantart profile. I have an account there, although I haven't done anything with it yet. Your photos look like you could use a little help with your exposures. Here's a link to our basic exposure guide >>

Back to the business at hand - helping you choose a new camera. I believe £200 is about $300 US. That's plenty for a new point-and-shoot digital. You have an xD memory card now? That would make it wise to get another Olympus or a Fujifilm camera, since you can continue to use the same memory. If you don't mind buying new memory, then that pretty much opens it up. If you basically like your Olympus and just want to upgrade, then I think you should buy another Olympus. The current Olympus Stylus (µ for you, I believe) are very nice. They'll fit in your pocket, have great resolution and image quality, they're quick, and they're weatherproof. I would encourage you to take a look at the Olympus Stylus / µ 750. I think it fits the bill:

Olympus Stylus 750 / µ 750 Reviews >>

If you want to spend less, take a look at the 710. It has 3x optical zoom but otherwise is more-or-less the same camera:

Olympus Stylus 710 / µ 710 Digital Camera Reviews >>

Those are just the first ideas that come to mind. For pure point-and-shoot functionality, I think you can't go wrong with those cameras. If you don't like them, let us know why. There are so many good cameras available now that it's hard to point to just one or two. But if you give us more information, we can give you better direction.

Ah, thanks for the advice on exposure. About the camera, is the 750 worth £50+ more than the 710? And, is there a difference between the 740 and the 750? Otherwise, I think I've found the camera I'll buy. Thanks again