I am using this camera for last 1 year. Its good enough for a beginer professional hobbyist.
It has limited but usefull manual settings. Manual shutter speed, aparature and focal length, ISO control is good to learn in this camera. Macro mode is also helpfull to get real close up pictures.
Price is a bit high but the picture quality is good.
(check some of my pics in https://picasaweb.google.com/dipayan.aich)
6MP is enough to get started and get 5x7 prints. Zoom is good and precise and steady shot helps to get the image sharp while you use the zoom or you are using the camera under low light or you got really a shakey hand.
But under low light you can see grains in pictures. Flash is powerfull,
which is good at times but sometimes it spoils the picture with over
brightness.
LCD display is clear and can be visible under all lighting condition. the EVF is also as good as the LCD to find the focus. Its supplied batteries(AA rechargeable) are good enough to get around 300 pics with out flash while fully charged.
Main disadvanage of this camera package is it doesnt come with enough memory and any casing.
Its size is also a big concern. But its ok for a camera with near SLR features.