Canon PowerShot SX210IS or Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V?

Most definitely the Canon. The father got 1 recently and it is like taking pictures with a DSLR honestly. The pictures are so clear because of its 14.1 mega pixel sensor. The 14x zoom helps you to zoom into things that are far away and you never no when that might come in handy. I've had canon cameras down through the years and every single 1 of them lasts for ever until you want to upgrade to a newer model.