I usually use my trusty Olympus E600 http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/E600/E600A.HTM But the woman whose Computer I looked at wanted to get her pic on a dating site and couldn't find the USB cable so she bought a new camera. I told her she could get a new cable for $2 on Ebay or I could get her a card reader for less than $10 but she had to have her pic online that very second (it seems dating is a high priority). She no longer wanted her camera and thought the shutter was to slow. In fact what she thought was the shutter is the lens cover which works fine.
She gave me her old one, I spent $8 for a 4gig SD card and now I have a nice little spare that I can drop in my pocket for times when I don't have my good camera with me. I'm not much on those little toy cameras http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/C813/C813A.HTM but I can get well over 3000 pics from it , it's an 8 megapixel, and it was free. I took two shots with it this afternoon. I come from a line of professional photographers, I was one for a while, and I'd be embarrassed to be seen using it but I can wear a fake mustache and beard. The trouble is I already have a mustache and beard. Maybe a bag with holes cut for eyes.

I wouldn't judge a person based on their use of a pocket digital camera. I say snap pics with pride, because you know what you're capable of doing via the DSR.

I keep a cheap digital in the both my vehicles for those emergencies that could come at a moment's notice. I bought them both off ebay real cheap.

Well, see, when I was 10 years old I had my own Nikon F, my stepdad always insisted that i on;y use professional equipment. I guess this is a throw back from those days. Now, i'll actually use this one, 5 years ago I wouldn't have touched it so i'm making progress.

it's only problem that i see is that it only uses .jpg format, but i can bulk convert them to TIF so it isn't a big deal.

Free is always good and those are some nice shots.

I think that mentality is based on keeping your skills sharp. To regress (start buying) cheaper cameras would tend to slow down your good photography habits. But today's technology is basically point and shoot (pocket digitals). So, although I understand the old world mentality (use the best equipment), I still find myself trying to find the best lighting, positioning, for pictures, even though I am not a professional, and I am using a cheap substitute.

You ever notice how your mood changes when using different cameras? When I use my Canon Rebel, I get all serious, take my time, and focus - almost like a sniper preparing for a shot. When I grab the Powershot, I just bounce around like I am hyper and in a hurry.

I hadn't noticed that but you're completely right, it's exactly what I do. With my little toy camera (I used to have anther toy one) I just shoot everything in site and not care what it looks like. When i was younger, my stepdad was a professional photographer for the St Louis Globe Democrat and Post Dispatch and also Outdoor Life. He would have them at our house and out for lunch etc so i grew up around pros. One of them told me once that 'I'd MUCH rather be lucky than good', it struck me as strange at the time but I understand it now. And it's basically what you're talking about, shoot a thousand shots and sort out the garbage from the treasures.