I finally decided on a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10K. It got great reviews on all the major sites and more importantly has a 12x optical zoom Leica lens. Although I'm brand loyal to Leica (and will continue to use the 35mm Leica that I have), I couldn't justify the pricing on the Leica branded digital camera - it was almost as expensive as VOF. Yikes.

:banana:

Lawrence:

After you have used it a while, tell me how it is working out for you. After reading the posts on this board, and doing a little research on my own, I came to the belief that a person like me really needs two digital cameras. One that is very compact and easy to carry for vacation shots, and another, larger camera for really good shots. I bought a Pentax Optio s4i for its VERY small size, and good features, other than its necessarily small lens. Great for carrying around on vacation, but not the best for truly great shots. (Not very expensive, either.) So let me know how it turns out, as I will probably get a second camera for other than vacation use.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

Congrats Lawrence! Definitely let us know if you like the pics that it takes!

Masaki