Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28K 10.1 Megapixel

I am a Nikon DSLR user but wanted a camera I could carry with me when traveling around town. I looked at quite a few cameras and finally settled with this camera. I liked the reviews but was undecided until I looked at one in a large discount store. The camera felt "right" in my hand. It has a digital viewfinder which is ok, I have never liked composing a picture by looking at a back of a camera so it had to have a viewfinder. I do like the 18X zoom and it does work with the IS. The reason I rate it good instead of excellent it has a couple of small features that I find difficult - like viewing pictures taken when I have the urge to "Chimp" or the zoom can be too quick. I would buy this camera again and recommend it. It is light but not "tinny." Overall it has a good feel. It has some professional limitations but it is not being marketed as a professional camera. I would like a hot shoe for a flash just in case.
Feel / handling: very good.
Viewfinder image: good.
Image quality: excellent.
Battery life: very good.
Battery cost: very good.
Viewing and deleting pictures in the camera - good - to me this is hard compared to other camera.
Zoom: This is a WOW! Excellent-especially with the image stabilization.
Manual shutter and f/stop and manual focusing: so-so, but unless you are doing night shots this is not much of an issue. Overall I am very satisfied with the purchase. Just look for a 10% ebay coupon to help with the purchase.