I finally pulled the trigger on the new camera I have been coveting.

No, it's not a DSLR, so some of you might want to stop reading right here. But glance through the specifications in the link shown above, before you decide that a non-interchangeable lens camera is beneath notice.

That f2.8 across the entire 25-600mm zoom range, the 60 to 1/4000 shutter speed range, and the 40 foot metered range for the built-in flash are eye openers.

No, it will NOT produce images as crisp and sharp as a DSLR with a dedicated 50mm lens... but you won't see the difference in an 8x10 print. And yes, there WILL be more noise at higher ISO settings but you won't see it at 8x10 at ISO 400 or less, and with f2.8 you won't need higher than that very often.

I guess it's technically a point-and-shoot, but in terms of exposure control I challenge anyone to find a [useful] feature on a DSLR that this camera doesn't have. Things like burst mode with dynamic autofocus up to 5.5 fps, and w/o dynamic autofocus up to 60 fps. HD movie capability, RAW output if desired, High Dynamic Range mode, and of course full P-S-A-M settings are impressive. All that's just tip-of-the-iceberg stuff.

Then... there is the Leica lens. Below are full-frame shots taken a few seconds apart with no post-processing of any kind. The first is at maximum wide-angle, the second at maximum zoom, with 4x digital zoom turned on. That clock (running about 6-1/2 hours slow, BTW) is exactly a kilometer away from where the pictures were taken. You'll have to look carefully at the "Wide" shot to even find the church tower; the small clock tower is in front of it. I'll concede that the zoomed picture is a bit ragged, but keep in mind the same camera and same lens took both shots.

I guess what it comes down to is that I am willing to trade a small amount of ultimate image quality to achieve unparalleled convenience and versatility.

YMMV.

tanstaafl.

edit: I added a third image, a low-resolution composite of the first two in case you don't have the patience to open the full-size pictures. I hope the third one will display below the post rather than just show as a link.