I have had mine for over 2 years and I LOVE this thing. In my opinion it is a classic digital camera. I have taken so many stunning shots with it, and when I hand it to others, less skilled than I, they take them too. It's true, that a camera can't make you a better photographer, unless it has a superb noise reduction algorhythm, a spectacular lens, a big CMOS chip and a fast response time. It turns on so quickly that I can leave it off and turn it on for a grab-shot, and extend the spectacularly long (530 minutes plus!) battery time indefinitely. The only down side is that I end up keeping so many shots, well over 5000 now, that my poor drive is full! I really love this thing. It's been all over the world with me, contributed to high-end visual effects jobs, created truly memorable shots and therefore gifts, web content, commemorations, art pieces etc. that I will never part with it. Find it for sub-$500 and you will never look back. I also recommend the instructional DVD they sell here. Moderate production value, but high instructional value. This camera is not a simple snap-shooter if you want to make art, so the DVD is the fastest way to learn the features and refresh memory. VERY helpful indeed. The added feature that it uses two different memory media if nice too. I am currently carrying 12 gigs of memory!!! That translates to something over 2,700 10mp JPEG pictures! I will never max out. Impressive, huh? Well, I think so!

Enjoy it! I love mine so much.

Lekfx