HIKER4LIFE wrote:

Holding the much longer lens stable!
Why didn't you go for the image stablised 8800?

David

The matter of more money. Is it that much larger than the 5000?

In which case, the Panasonic FZ20 (5MP) might have been a better choice -
as I said if you get a long zoom camera and intend to use the full zoom,
holding it steady is probably the first major difference you will face on
any except the brightest days. Hence my suggestion that image
stabilisation is highly desirable in such a camera, even it means dropping
from 8MP to 5MP.

David