lrc), so I ended up getting an FZ7 instead. The FZ7 was and still is an excellent camera, but the more photos I took the more I wanted to get a camera with more SLR-like features, without actually committing to the expense and hassle of a real SLR. So the FZ50 seemed like a perfect fit, and when Amazon reduced the price to only $530 I finally broke down and bought it. (This price seemed eminently reasonable for a 10 megapixel camera with 12x optical zoom, image stabilization, and a flip-out, rotating screen, along with full manual controls and a host of other features.)I've only owned it for a few hours so don't have much to show yet, but I put up a few test photos. Considering how well it does in full auto mode, I'm sure I'll get some masterful results once I learn how to use all the manual settings.
