For the best lens on a current long-zoom camera, look at the Panasonic
FZ5/FZ20/FZ30 range.  Typical zoom range is 36 - 432mm, and apertures of
f/2.8..f/3.7 at maximum zoom.

 http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz5/

 http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz20/

 http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz30/

These cameras work best at 50/80/100 ISO, and have an image stabilised
Leica lens which reduces camera shake at long zoom settings.  I have the
FZ5 and it's a delight to use.

The Canon S2 IS doesn't have quite as good image quality, but offers a
better movie mode.  You may find the Nikon 8800 discounted as the camera
is discontinued.

David

There's a whole bunch; basically, most of the manufacturers offer a
camera with specs of: 12x optical zoom (36-432 mm, typically), 5
megapixels, $500 list.

I have the Panasonic FZ5, which I like a lot. It has a very good, clean,
sharp lens. Other possibilities include the Canon S2IS, the Sony H1, and
the Kodak P850 (brand new; I haven't seen any reviews of it yet, so you
might want to hold off on this one).

For somewhat more money, there are 8 MP superzooms like the Panasonic
FZ30.

-dms

As others posted, look at the FZ5:
http://home.comcast.net/~charlesschuler/wsb/media/291308/site1059.jpg