i went and got this camera today after thinking about buying a camera for a while. This thread has been real good as it was exactly what i was looking for in the range of camera(s)
found a good price on
www.digitalfunstuff.com.au
they had it for $559 for the camera. i then went to the Harvey Norman in Auburn and was able to get them to match the price. then paid $89 for 2 extra yrs of warranty, so all up it ended costing me $648.
so far, it's an awesome camera. can't wait till exams are over so i can play with it more