We just got the Kodak Z612 about a month ago.
Spec's
Very affordable and I love the way this thing takes pictures. It definitely is not a top of the line brand, but for the price....
Best features:
12x OPTICAL zoom
Image stabilization, again optical
SD card (picked up 1G Corsair memory for $10 on newegg)
Lithium Ion Battery. (downside = separate charger)
SLR-like (Auto mode but also separate control of f-stop, ect possible.)
We went to the zoo yesterday and I took about 75 pictures. It did fantastic at max zoom, though glass, low light. A few quick pictures.
This was across the open area about 30ft. Zoom was about 10x optical.
Believe it or not, this was through glass. The key was turning off the flash and playing with the exposure.
Full optical zoom (12x) and motion.
For comparison, here is only a little zoom.
Last one, This is full optical (12x) and into the digital about 3x. I was braced but this was from about 60ft or more.
Sorry for the long, picture intensive post. I am just really happy with this thing. For a non-power user, this camera is great.