Canon Digital IXUS, maybe?
I'm very happy with my Canon IXUS V2 (Digital Elph 220 in the US). I't only 2.0 Mpix (1600x1200) effective, but that's fine for my use.
The camera body is made of metal and seems very well built. No loose parts or flash that pops up either. The camera is the size of a 20-pack of cigarettes, so it will fit in most pockets. I bought the 330 first (same camera with 3x zoom), but that is quite a bit bigger.
My IXUS has so far survived several mountaineering trips (mostly winter), many days of skiing, rain and snow, and about a year in my Timbuk2 messenger bag, rolling around without a bag/case. There are some
tiny dents here and there, but they are hard to notice. Though it's not waterproof, it works even when a little wet from snow or water.
I have a friend who fell out of his river kayak and lost both the boat and the camera. A couple of hours later he found the kayak further down the river, with the camera in it - under water... After three(!) days of drying in room temperature witht he battery and CF card taken out, it started working again, and he has had no problems after that :-D
Before the V2 I have used both the regular/first IXUS and the IXUS V, and the new button arrangement on the V2 is much, much better than on the older models. Navigating through the menus is fast and easy.
There is a new IXUS out now, the V3. It's the same camera with 3.2 Mpix. More expensive, of course.
I recently bought the WP-DC600 underwater housing (fits both V2 and V3 as the bodies are identical), so now I can go down to 30m. Or: my camera can ;-) All the buttons are available outside the housing, so the camera can be used just as normal.
I get about 130 pictures on a 128MB CF card if I use the 1600x1200 with the highest quality.
Oh, and it can record (short) movies too - with sound
Check Digital Photo Review for more information:
http://dpreview.com/
And you can buy it at Computer Universe in Germany - cheap, and very good service:
V2:
http://www.computeruniverse.net/products/e90051873.asp
V3:
http://www.computeruniverse.net/products/e90059777.asp
WP-DC600:
http://www.computeruniverse.net/products/e90056045.asp
Hope this completely neutral and un-biased post helped.... ;-)