btw, regarding pocketability: For a while I used to additionally carry an older Casio Z30 (much smaller) but recently, I find that the FZ5 is an OK fit into any larger pocket (such as a coat’s) and the power switch is good enough so that it won’t switch on accidentally. Try it. I always have it one me by now.

I got my FZ5 yesterday and I’m loving it so far. The only glitch was that f-spot couldn’t directly import the photos until I set the USB mode to “PictBridge”. Now it works great and I have a nice Camera->f-spot->Flickr workflow going with minimal effort.

I had had an EX-S1 and EX-S2 in the past and was moderately happy with them, but really wanted optical zoom capabilities. I got the Casio competitor to the Optio S series, I want to say it was the EX-D400Z. However, after I got it I realized that it didn’t have a movie mode, because I ran across a couple of things that a still picture wouldn’t have captured at all. I don’t do many movies, but since the Optio had the movie mode, I sold the Casio on e-bay after just a few weeks and got the Optio.

One thing I really like about the Optio is that it has an IR remote control. It’s one of the few cameras that does. It’s great for taking group pictures, but it’s also fantastic for having someone else take a picture of you. No longer do you have to train them how to push the shutter button, just give it to them, tell them to point it at you, and you do the rest. Loved that feature.

I looked around quite a bit and really liked the results of the Fuji mumble-F10, but the form-factor was a bit too big and it used xD media. I later found that it also doesn’t have a manual focus mode, which I end up needing infrequently (in low-light or through a window being the biggest reasons).

I finally decided on the Panasonic DMC-FX9, which has a high res display and optical image stabilizer. Sadly, it has been in very short supply. It was supposed to be launched on September 25, so I ended up waiting a month for that date. The 25th came and went and no sign of it in the US. It had been available for almost a month in Japan.

Another couple of weeks later and I found it available online and I placed an order. Then I realized the auto-buy had used the wrong credit card (my company card), and I canceled the transaction. That involved waiting for the transaction to get “posted”, and then canceling and confirming it. By this time I was super busy at work and didn’t have a chance to place the order again. The next day, it was no longer available from any of the sources. That’s been over a month ago, and just now are they finally getting some stock back in… Because of some investments growing my company, we don’t have the cash right now to buy a camera, so I’m just carrying efm’s camera.

Plus, the price just keeps going down on it… At this point I’m thinking it’ll probably be a christmas present, with a vacation coming up in January, it should work out quite well.

Sean