CEP,
The type of camera you buy should meet your needs and stay within a budget you are happy to live with. I did a lot of research before buying and it paid off.
I have a Z740 and I am very happy with it. It has glass lens with 10X zoom, is a 5 megapixel camera and is easy to handle/operate. I use the camera for business and for the many photos I have posted here. My wife likes it because it sounds similar to an SLR and she gets the "it worked" feeling. We purchase it early in 05 replacing a Fuji that was outstanding at 3 megapixels until it was dropped

.
The price has really come down since I bought our Z740 too.