I am looking for a camera to buy for my boyfriend. I am looking at the Canon S5IS. It's in my price range. Is there any other camera suggestions

Hi Roxy,
As far as battery life, don't let the idea of something aside from an AA battery slow you down. Nowadays many great cameras are sold with their own proprietary lithium ion type batteries, and those hold charges just great and last a very long time. Even if a camera does take AAs, I HIGHLY recommend buying the rechargeable kind, because regular AAs won't last very long at all. So if you're worried about the price of the battery, by the time you buy rechargeable AAs and a battery charger, the price will be equivalent to a lithium ion anyways... and most cameras that use lithium ion come with the battery and charger. So if battery life is the reason you're avoiding cameras that don't take AAs, I wouldn't worry about it.

I personally think the S5 is a great camera. It's a nice mix of basic camera features (along with a fairly basic price point) and yet enough manual control options to let him get his feet wet with the idea of a pro camera. I consider it a kind of hybrid model. And I consider it the best of its kind; Canon's operating speed, color reproduction, and low light performance aren't to be beaten.

I was going to point you towards the Rebel XT, which is a slightly more "professional" yet still very easy to use camera, but I think it may be out of your price point if you are looking for the one that comes with a lens. The prices quoted if you click on that link, the ones in the 300-400 range, are the body of the Rebel only, with no lens. The price on that camera has dropped drastically, but I think you'd either have to buy it used or wait awhile to get the full camera plus lens.

So, considering that, I'd personally say the S5 is a really nice choice for what you're looking for. Then if he likes it/ wants to pursue the hobby, there'd be plenty of time to buy a full-on pro camera later!