I think the comparison against an FZ50 should be made with 350D or 400D, 350 being the lightest in weight, the 400 smallest in physical size, which was attracting me for similar reasons to Alan. The comparison then is how a cheapish all-in-one lens for canon would compare with the Leica lens on the Pana.

if you have not already looked at http://bobatkins.com/photography/reviews for canon lens reviews, well worth it Alan. Likewise if you haven't already have a look at full review of FZ30 and preview/changes FZ50 at
http://www.imaging-resource.com/MFR1...asonic_reviews
these are real in-depth reviews and example images are full size, not reduced; unfortunately they don't have a bird pic