Are you ready for your close-up? Wait until I zoom....hold on, hold on....

That used to be me, before I got the new Panasonic DMC-TZ3 Lumix 7.2-Megapixel Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom, MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer & High Sensitivity Mode, with 28mm wide-angle setting. What does that all mean to us?

The 10x optical zoom means you can get closer, faster and with better quality than before, almost like a telephoto lens. MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilization) compensates for any hand-shaking, for example if you're taking photos from a moving car. Wide-angle settings translate to panoramic landscape shots.

What matters to me? The LEICA lens. I miss my old before-digital Canon because of the beautiful lens and quality of the photos. While I'm sure I'll come to appreciate all the other features, it's the lens quality that impressed me in the short time I've been using the camera.

As with most digital cameras these days, it's easy to use and it does have a lovely, big wide LED screen. At $349.95, it's at the high-end, but worth it for the special features if you take a lot of photos, like me.