[ThinkInsane]

I'm looking to get a new camera, and I think the Z2 would suit my needs pretty well. Anyone have one, or have any experience with it? Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

[Camera God]

I worked for a camera store for about 5 and a half years. <-- My qualification for answering your question.

The Z2 is probaly one of the better large zoom cameras. The two really key features about it are the APO glass (really high quality) and the 12 bit A/D conversion.

Personally, I am against long zoom cameras. The more zoom you have in a lens, the lower the overall image quality/sharpness from corner to corner. But, if you need the zoom to get the shot, this would make a great camera.

[ThinkInsane]

Cool, thanks for the reply. I used to be a pretty involved hobbyist, and I'm starting to get back into. I'm actually leaning more towards digital than film, and I want a decent all around camera, but really can't justify the price of an SLR. Part of me is screaming for a D70, but I think a Z2 would fit the bill for what I want, at a more reasonable price.

[maxintosh]

I've heard that the Z2 has a lot of reliability problems... personally, I would reccomend the new FujiFilm S5500... I have the predecessor, the S5000 and I love it, been able to get some amazing shots -- but the new version fixes all of my complaints (lack of low ISO selection, etc.) and throws in another megapixel and VGA 30fps video to boot.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0407/04...epixs5500z.asp

The S5000 has become a surprising "cult" camera, check out this website:
http://www.s5000.net/