A point in the right direction?

[PippaM]

Hi,

I've been floating around DPS for about a month or so, picking up tips from the share your shot and critique sections and now I'm starting to branch out into the gear sections too! So much to see and learn. I'm going to try to put some pictures up soon for critique but I haven't figured out EXIF data yet or how I can get to it!

I am a complete beginner in photography, I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 which I've had for about a year. I have managed to get some pretty good pictures with it but I have tried to change some settings, notably aperture and shutter speed (including extra long exposure) and there just isn't the manual option I'd like to be able to make these changes.

So, my question, is there a smallish camera someone can recommend that gives me a bit more chance to play around with different features? I travel a lot and so the opportunities exist for me to take good pictures but I travel of the backpacking see where the wind takes me type so carrying a dslr with peripheries is really not an option from a personal safety perspective as much as a weight thing and the price too! I was looking a bit at super zoom cameras but I'm not really looking for that much zoom, just the manual functions that so often tie up.

Any hints or tips would be hugely appreciated (and sorry for the rambling essay!)

All the best, PippaM