Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1

I have been looking for a new point and shoot camera for quite some time now. My previous one, a Kodak DX7630, is rather old and outdated now and to be quite honest, really beat up. It has done very well over the last 6 years, and I really love many of the photos I have taken with it (some can even stand up to ones taken with my dSLR). I had a really great time using it, but it is time it is retired officially (it went into semi-retirement when I bought the Nikon d80).
The main features I needed in a point and shoot (p&s) camera were the it had fast start-up, high mega-pixels, optical zoom and some ability for manual control. I also wanted the ability to take movies. It would be really convenient if the camera used SD memory cards, as that is what my d80 takes and I therefore already have many of them (and didn't really want to invest in a new collected of say xD cards). I was interested in at least researching some cameras with underwater capabilities, but this wasn't at all necessary and was much less important than a quick start-up time.
I planned on using this camera when I didn't want to take my big, heavy dSLR for the sake of it being so big and heavy or for times when I felt it might get damaged or stolen. I also planned on using it as a backup and quick moments in which I didn't have time to set up the dSLR (I know you can set it to auto, but even that takes time in which I could miss the moment). It was also going to be Dave's form of entertainment when we are out on photo walks and I have to Nikon d80 with me. With all of this in mind, I started researching. I never got very far in my research though, as I would get distracted by lenses and other accessories for my dSLR.
This past weekend, during the Nikon sale at Henry's Dave and I found the perfect p&s camera for us: the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 (ours is black). It is slick and pretty compact and has most of, if not all, the features I wanted.Above is a picture of the camera, and you can plainly see how pretty it is. But, getting past the exterior looks of the camera, it is pretty awesome inside too. It is lightweight (only 5.6 ounces with the battery and memory card), it takes SD cards which is very convenient for my ever increasing library and can take both pictures and movies (HD movies to be precise). The start-up time is one of the fastest on the market as is the shutter press to image capture at just .32 seconds. Shot-to-shot lag is reported to be minimal as well as approximately 2 seconds. It is suprisingly small in size (2.1 x 3.9 x 1 inch - see below image) when you consider its lens specifications (8x, f3.3-5.9, 25-200mm). It uses a lithium-ion battery that charges (from a fully discharged state) in about 130minutes. The LCD is 2.7 inches (diagonal) which makes it really easy to view your images. The only downside with it's screen is that you have to use it - it does not have a viewfinder which is one of the things I hate about p&s camera, but that is the direction they seem to have gone.
I thas customizable white balance and ISO settings as well as Auto settings for these as well. It of course comes with many different scene settings (portrait, landscape, macro, etc) as well as colour modes (natural, vivid, black and white, sepia, etc).
Below is the first published image taken with the new camera (one of the first taken with it in general) and I am quite happy with how it has turned it (it was taken in very dim light settings and hand held).I have high hopes and big plans for this little camera, and I will definitely keep you all in the loop as to how it performs.
(images of the camera itself found through Google)