Well, I would not say that the Panasonic FZ series (FZ5,FZ15,FZ20, amd FZ30) are bulky. Actually, they are rated as the best in the prosumer class with powerful 12x stabilized zoom and 2.8 aperture throughout the entire zoom range. Much better than Canon, Kodak, and all the others in this class. Also, combined with the Olympus TCON 14B telelens, I have 18x optical zoom :gd_pineap If you find a good deal on these - jump on it (anything around 300$).