Key highlights of the FZ48 / FZ47 include a 24x zoom, higher-resolution 3 inch LCD, full 1080i HD movies, faster auto-focusing and burst shooting, and a 12 megapixel CCD sensor.

The 16 megapixel bridge-style Nikon L810 has a 3-inch 921K-dot LCD screen, 720p movies and uses AA batteries.

The picture quality remains superb, but as competing compact cameras upgrade to CMOS technology for improved low light shooting and burst modes, the advantages of a large lens and flash in a CCD-based bridge camera are diminished in many situations.

You can change ISO, white balance, and exposure compensation as well as color, flash, and continuous-shooting modes.

With wide angle at 25mm you can get everybody in your photo on group shots, don't need to step back or squeeze everybody together like you do with many point and shoots.

Prior to purchasing this camera, I suggest you take a series of shots from wide angle to full zoom and review the images on a good monitor at 1:1.

Unfortunately, the continuous shooting feature is still crippled, there is still no way to lock the exposure/aperture settings in Auto mode, and no option to hold the current shot on the LCD while the shutter button is depressed.

This camera lacks many controls features of many cameras in same price range: External mode selector, direct aperture or shutter speed control, or manual focus.

Yes, that ancient FZ10 had a metal body, where the new FZ47 is plastic instead... But the optics are great, the autofocus is great, the low light is very, very good, the bright light is superb, the speed is blazing, and the zoom is friggin' awesome... I just love it.

the zoom is impressive but hard to hold for a steady zoom pic without a tripod.

It's the camera you have with you, a very practical bring along camera, light-weight with decent quality, unless you're a real purist.

Fun to use, light weight and because of the design it is very easy to hold onto and take pictures.