If the quality of a photo does not really matter at this point, then a camcorder can be a quick and easy substitute for a digital camera. There are camcorders these days that fall under the so-called "camera and photo" category.
One of these is the highly affordable Samsung SCL810 Hi8 Camcorder with 2.5 LCD for instance. It has an Easy-Q easy navigator system, a 22x optical and 880x digital zoom, a 2.5-inch TFT LCD screen and a Black and white view finder plus a Backlight compensation. It just costs at around $150.00 Not bad for something that you want to have a dual role of sorts.
If you have the money, though, opt for the Canon HG10 AVCHD 40GB High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom. It boasts of the SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer and can produce simultaneous still-photo capture. Check out the item here:
Amazon.com: Canon HG10 AVCHD 40GB High Definition Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom: Camera & Photo