I used to own a point-and-shoot Pentax that I absolutely loved: I could take closeups, open the aperture to expose an image in very low light, or take landscape shots using the setting that allowed for "far away" focus. All of these options were automated with a turn of a dial, and even my snapshots came out fantastic. The anti-shake feature was automatic too, though it required more skill to take the closeups and the long-exposure shots.

I’m looking for something similar in a digital camera that isn’t an SLR but has some of the benefits. Point and shoot is plenty nice, but my current digital camera has none of those fancy options. Pictures suffer.

I’ve thought a Panasonic Lumix might suit me well. But I’ve wondered about the lack of a viewfinder on many of these cameras. Doesn’t counting on the video screen sap battery power?

Which Lumix would you recommend? Or is there another camera I’m overlooking that might suit my needs and desires? I’ll spend the money for the right item.

External Live View Finder / Mounts into the hot shoe / Conserves battery power

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