Panasonic DMC-FZ8 / Fuji S6000fd / other?

[Poncet]

I'm looking into buying a camera, and so far these two(Panasonic DMC-FZ8 & Fuji S6000fd) are in my price range and are what I'm considering, but I'm open to suggestions.

Photography virgin here, so not sure what I'm looking for... just read through a few reviews and found these. I don't mind learning(half the fun, right?).
Use would be various.. people, nature, computer, pets, and vacation pictures, I guess.

Well.. I think that's all, thanks in advance for any response. ^^

[Soulburner]

Fuji FinePix S6000fd (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=893) vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=977)

From DCRP:

S6000fd:

What I liked:
Very good photo quality (though see issues below)
10.7X zoom lens with great 28 - 300 mm range
SLR-style body with manual zoom and focus rings
Superb high ISO performance, especially if you shoot in RAW and post-process
Large 2.5" LCD is visible in bright outdoor light and dimly lit rooms
AF-assist lamp; very good low light focusing
Full manual controls
Face detection really works; can also be used in playback mode
Powerful flash; redeye not a problem
Nice movie mode; zoom can be used
Support for wide-angle conversion lens and filters
Above average battery life; uses AA batteries
USB 2.0 High Speed support

What I didn't care for:
Over-the-top noise reduction system smudges details at higher ISO settings (see workarounds in review)
No image stabilization
Unimpressive continuous shooting mode
Electronic viewfinder resolution could be better
FinePix Studio software doesn't let you control noise reduction; performance was pretty sluggish, as well
Full shutter speed range only available in full manual (M) mode
Tiny amount of built-in memory
Plastic tripod mount

DMC-FZ8:

What I liked:
Very good photo quality (at lowest ISO setting and in good lighting)
Superb 12X optical zoom Leica lens; lens can be precisely adjusted with new two speed zoom controller
Optical image stabilization
Well built for the price
Large, sharp 2.5" LCD display; screen visible outdoors and in low light; useful Power LCD and High Angle features;
Robust performance, especially in terms of focus and shot-to-shot speeds
AF-assist lamp; good (but somewhat sluggish) low light focusing
Full manual control (and then some), plus plenty of scene modes
RAW image format supported
Powerful flash
Strong continuous shooting mode
Nice movie mode records in widescreen format (848 x 480)
Support for conversion lenses and filters

What I didn't care for:
Heavy noise reduction smears/mottles details when ISO is above 100, or in low light
Some redeye
Useless high sensitivity mode
No USB 2.0 High Speed support
Can't swap memory cards while camera is on tripod
Manual leaves much to be desired

The FZ8 is a strong camera that suffers in the IQ department. That's a big problem for me, as I buy a camera to take pictures - so if IQ isn't up to par, then no deal for me. Of course you will want to see the full review for details about all the aspects of the cameras.

Since you are looking at Ultrazooms, there are many other options as well. One I would recommend is the Canon PowerShot S5 IS (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=1044), though one gripe I have with the Canons (non-SLR) is their average low-light/high ISO performance. Some other super zooms worth considering include the, Kodak EasyShare Z812 IS, Olympus SP-560 Ultra Zoom, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18, and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9. Some upcoming cameras that you should look at include the Fuji FinePix S8100fd, Kodak EasyShare Z8612 IS, and the Olympus SP-570UZ.

[Poncet]

Wow, thanks very much. It helps to get pointed in a precise direction, I'll spend some time reading various reviews about the other cameras you suggested(dcresource and dpreview should be all the information I need I believe?) and make a decision or wait for the upcoming ones and then decide.

Just one last quick question if I may, are there any other types besides Ultrazooms I should consider?

And again, thanks for the help.

[Soulburner]

If you want an all-in-one type camera, the ultrazooms are your ticket.

Compacts just won't have the same zoom reach or amount of features onboard.

Going the other direction, if you step up you get into SLR territory and then you need to consider what lenses you will need to start carrying around. It's a compromise. The Ultrazooms get you a small compromise (usually the difference is image quality and a few features) with a fixed lens that has a variable zoom to suit most people's needs.

[Poncet]

Thank you, again. :p: