Well, I ended up buying the camera after having a long chat with the peeps behind the counter. Decided to go ahead with it as the camera had all the cables/manuals/charger etc. and they also threw in a 512MB CF card at a reduced price of £17 to £5. They've looked after my mother's camcorder hobby for the past few years and have often gone out of their way to deliver - top quality after sales.
Been snapping like a kid at xmas and spent a short while in the garden taking loads of pics of the flowers - I think I
really want a macro lens
I'm totally blown away by the quality of some of the pictures.