the elusive all-in-one digital camera

I've owned several digital cameras over the years. I've been fairly satisfied with most of them, each for varying reasons, but I haven't been fully happy with any single one of them yet. My first digital was an HP - horrible quality pix, but it was a very early model, so the resolution was lacking. My second was also an HP. The resolution was greater, and I had some terrific customer service experiences with HP. It really made feel like a loyal customer. I was going to keep buying HP, until I saw the affordable features of my current camera, and Olympus SP-320. It's got tons of features, and the price was right, but I've had many problems with it, and have already had it replaced once. The software is also a nightmare, and you are best off just plugging it in as a USB mass storage device.

Lately, I've been looking at digitals once again, not because my Olympus has quit functioning again, but because there are certain types of shots that it just doesn't capture to my satisfaction. While the close-ups that it captures are awesome, and the skin-tone is usually phenomenal, landscape photos leave much to be desired. I've tried many of the different settings and presets and none seem to fix it. Also, tripod photos at night look gorgeous when I leave the flash off and the shutter open.

There seem to be lots of options these days, and prices are continually spiraling downwards for the amount of technology that you get. But is there any digital camera that truly functions as an all-in-one solution for any photo situation that I may run across?

I've looked at digital SLRs and those may be the answer, but some of the non-SLR cameras have been getting great reviews and are much cheaper. I don't think I would touch another Olympus, but HP still sounds good. The Canon Powershot series has good reviews and seems to offer a lot of bang for the buck. Plus, they have the name of Canon to back themselves up. I just don't know whether I trust camera companies who have moved into digital, or digital companies (like HP or Sony) who have moved into cameras. I once had a little Olympus 35mm that I used for years and years and it always gave me great photos. In fact, that is the only reason why tried the Olympus digital in the first place. But their digital cameras fall short of the reputation they had earned with their 35mm models.

Perhaps the answer lies in the habits of 35mm photographers. Instead of carrying around different lenses to capture the right shot, perhaps the answer lies in carrying around multiple digital cameras. I'll keep my Olympus for close-up portraits and candids, as well as night-time shots. I'll need another to capture landscapes. The only problem is that this idea defeats one of the main purposes of digital cameras - to have something "at the ready" whenever you need it. No film to load. No lenses to swap. Just point and shoot. But how d you point and shoot when you're juggling two or three different cameras?