I just recently purchased the Z981. It takes some great pictures, and I love the 26X Zoom. It seems to be a good camera for me to learn on. I found this site after I bought the camera and am learning alot just reading and looking.
I will say though, had I found this site before I bought it, I probably would have saved a little longer and bought an SLR. I am already seeing the limitations of a point and shoot. LOL. But like I said, it's a great camera to learn on, and I have a lot of learning to do, so it will be in my hands for quite a while before I upgrade. Oh yeah, the 14mp is great for cropping too! hehehe.
JDPelfrey