I forgot to mention another difference between the Fz8 and Fz50 -
Fz50's sensor is larger than the Fz8's ( 1/1.8" vs 1/2.5")

Which just goes to prove: In talented hands nearly any camera can produce a fine
work of art. A pinhole camera made from a cardboard-box, a bit of foil or tin
snipped from a sardine-can, and some B&W sheet film can produce publishable
works of art -- in the right hands.

In common untalented hands even a good camera with Leica optics is a piece of
crap.

99.999% of the time the fault lies within, they just don't have the courage to
find a mirror and come to that blatant conclusion.

I think newer digital cameras should have a "Twit Detector" mode built in. Every
time an idiot tries to use the camera it would announce: "Hey idiot! You don't
have a clue how to take a decent photo, do you! Before you blame yet another
decent camera for your lack of talent, be a good boy and hand me over to someone
that knows how to do real photography. At least be smart enough to do that
much."

Then it would shut itself down and not be able to be turned on again until they
gave up possession of it. If they can make autos with a breathalyzer built-in
before you can start the engine, I think it only fair there should be something
like that on all high-end cameras too. Think of how many people's eyesight would
be saved from having to view their photographic eyesores at every turn. There
should be a law against people who can't handle a camera properly. They are an
affront to my right to find happiness. That alone is a huge crime of theirs.

I strongly dissagree.  I owned an FZ30 for a while before moving to a
dSLR.  I found it a great camera to use - easily the best P&S I've
owned - and got some nice shots with it.  It's got a decent lens and
good controls that give quick access to most settings.  The only major
gripe I had with it is the high level of noise from the sensor (or
associated major artifacts from the Noise reduction in the camera).
However this does not normally affect standard prints really - it's of
most concern when trying to shoot in low light (which is this camera
is very bad at) or when printing at large sizes.  This camera (and the
FZ50) offers a lot of great features (including v good optical IS/VR),
and a build standard higher than many entry level dSLRs - calling it a
POS is just OTT.  What were your specific problems with it?  (I assume
it was noise/noise reduction related).

S

I have to differ here.  The only two complaints I have with my FZ30 is
that the zoom ought to equate to a 28-300mm rather than the 35-420mm
that it is.  It would be useful to have more wide-angle capability, as
the extreme telephoto length never gets used.  The other problem is a
tendency to purple-fringing on some high-contrast parts of a picture.
Overall, it's still among the best prosumer wide-range zoom cameras.