I'm no professional photographer, but I have a very active 4 year old. This is a wonderful little camera. I've shot D/SLRs forever (Nikon N70 and D70/D2X and Minolta before that) and like the image quality and control that those cameras offer. Compacts just don't cut it, particularly in autofocus performance. This camera is different:
1) it's small enough to carry in a jacket pocket
2) autofocus performance is on par with DSLRs
3) the sensor and lens are big enough to produce good quality images. The combination of high ISO, VR on the lens and the large sensor allow the camera to take sharp, well-exposed pictures even in poor light. You'll get used to this quickly.
The gripes you read about in reviews of this camera are overblown. It's true there aren't lots of control nobs and you'll need to go into the menu to change, say, from Program mode to Shutter mode. But I usually stay in P all the time anyway so it's not a big deal. Plus since the camera is quite small to begin with it's ok that there are relatively few buttons. The camera does go to sleep, but you'll soon get in the habit of tapping the shutter button as you bring it up to eye level to wake it up. As for the lack of an electronic viewfinder, if you want that, buy the V1 and put up with the bigger body and lack of built-in flash. The LCD on this camera is good enough to compose on in even in direct sunlight.
I like this camera a lot because it's almost as small as a compact but has nearly all the performance of a DSLR. Right now the main gap with DSLRs is the lack of an ultra wide lens (equivalent say to the 11-16 Tokina DX lens), but I'm hopeful that will be rectified over time. When the F-mount adapter is released, there will be no end of options on the long side of the spectrum.
Review by N. Tong
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