Great camera for the money for enthusiasts

I carefully compared several cameras before deciding to purchase my silver FZ20, sight unseen. I played around with a Fuji S7000,a Konica Minolta Z3 and Canon S1 IS, and read a ton about the FZ series Panasonic cameras, including reviews of the FZ3 and FZ10 by various users on camera forums. I was looking for a camera with a big zoom, a decent movie mode, fully auto or manual modes, and of course great images. I typically shoot outdoor family shots and nature shots, and occasionally macro shots (butterflies and the like).

The Fuji was nice, but I wanted more of a zoom; I also didn't like the very high compression that was unavoidable in 6M mode, which really forces you into interpolated 12M images that, based on various reviews, aren't the best. The Canon was nice as well, but too small for me. It seemed flimsy, light. I wanted something with more mass. I did like the Z3, but initial reports of various issues, like lockups, etc, which I'm sure will eventually be fixed via a firmware upgrade, turned me off. I also though the camera style was neat, and just about the right size. In the end it was in fact between the Z3 and the FZ20... due to the great reviews I was reading at the time related to the FZ20, FZ1/3 users, I decided to go with this camera.

Outdoor shots have been absolutely magnificent. I've tried some macro shots, and have had very good results. Time to start up, and shot to shot speed, is very impressive. Burst mode, esp. with a fast SD card (I have a Kingmax Platinum) is exceptionally fast, when simply compared with the other cameras I tried.

Indoor shots are good as well, esp. when using the integrated flash. However, I have had some strange white balance issues when using one of the built-in SCENE modes (Portrait, for instance), that I don't encounter when in Program Mode. It may be a user issue, I admit, and I'm researching this.

Movie mode is nice, the images are 320x240 or so, not 640x480, so the resolution isn't as high as the other cameras here, but they are at 30 fps. You cannot change the optical zoom while recording, but can of course lock in a particular zoom prior to beginning recording.

The AF Assist lamp works well, the only issue I had with it is that it is right where I place my hand to hold the camera, so again a usage issue, I need to adjust my grip on the camera. I have had some issues with out of focus shots indoors (low light), but that again is likely due to my problems using the camera, not a problem with the camera itself. When using the flash, even outdoors at night, I have achieved stellar results.

Of course like many other digicams the EVF is useless in the dark, but turn on the flash, let the camera do its job, and it does well.

I've tried some macro mode shots, and they have come out great...but I haven't taken too many, so I can't really comment on this mode. I have to say that during my tests of the Z3 it also did handle macro mode well.

I really like the feel of this camera, has enough mass to make you feel like you're holding something that is built well, but not terribly heavy. Definately not a "pocket" camera, so if you're in the market for a very small camera or collapsable camera, look elsewhere (perhaps the FZ3!).