This is a very good quality camera in most respects. The optical quality is superb, the zoom is excellent, and the function is fairly intuitive. It is compact and cleanly designed. I have problems in three areas however. As others have noted, the autofocus is annoyingly slow. Also, you cannot raise the flash manually when you know you will need it. Instead, you must depress the shutter button, which results in an unintended flash photo occuring half the time. Lastly, the close focus limit is rather distant making macro photos impossible. Since it too big to fit in a pocket or purse I am looking forward to a suitable carrying case being available. Overall, it is an excellent value.