dapperdan wrote:
So it boils down to what you want to spend, how much hassle you can endure lugging around a bunch of photography equipment and how good you want your pictures to turn out, only YOU can answer that question. Do your home work, choose wisely.
Dan
I agree with Dan. Even though I have a really nice DSLR with several lenses, I shoot a lot more photos with my small pocket camera - simply because I always have it with me while the expensive DSLR will often be back home in the closet.
In many cases, you won't want to drag a heavy DSLR camera with you. You'll want your hands free, or maybe be in places where an expensive camera makes you a target. In those cases, you'll want a small pocket camera with a decent zoom lens and built in optical image stabilization.
The lumix mentioned in Dan's post is a great camera. I prefer something even smaller - like the Canon Elph 300 series.
Bill