Last year I ditched my beloved Nikon D90 and its lenses for a compact Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100. It has a fast Leica telephoto lens (f 1:2.8 - 5.9 10X zoom) and a 1" sensor (very large). Most of the time no flash is needed. I believe the photos are as good as the Nikon.
The big advantage to me is it has a very compact and rugged frame, etc. I was tired of lugging that big mother everywhere and standing out like a tourist. They go for about $700. in NY.
