Compare Prices : Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 -

I've been using this camera for about a year and have just upgraded to a Nikon D40.
I was originally impressed with the massive zoom and good price. And since then the camera's ability to be both 'point and click' for beginners and to be able to tweak the exposure time and aperture helped me learn the basics enough to make a step up to a 'proper' dslr.
However, I'm a big fan of night photography and the thing that struck me was how noisy the pictures were. Also, when you take longer exposures there is a lot of 'processing' time you wouldn't get with a dslr.
The menus are easily navigatable on the large, bright screen, but I have noticed most cameras have options such as 'landscape shots' and 'portait shots' on the wheel rather than having to go through a few menus.
On top of this I found the autofocus to be painfully slow sometimes meaning I missed shots. There is a manual focus option, but it might as well not be there as it is not very user-friendly and it is difficult to see if the shot is properly focused.
I will definately continue to use this camera in the future for it's zoom because it means I don't have to pay $600 for a new lens. However, for day-to-day photography I much prefer my D40.