I don't have any experience with that specific camera. It's best to check out some of the digital camera specific sites.
try
Dpreview:
http://www.dpreview.com
DCresource:
http://www.dcresource.com
Imaging Resource:
http://www.imaging-resource.com
Steve's digicams:
http://www.steves-digicams.com
I'd also consider looking at the Pansonic 4Megapixel FZ10. I picked up this camera in December or so and like it quite a bit. One of the big features in a super zoom camera is image stabilization, since the further in you zoom, the more your camera is affected by shaky hands. Without IS, it's hard to take the zoomed in pics without a tripod. The Panasonic has a 12x image stabilized Leica lens, but is a fairly large camera. Pretty much all cameras have their own advantages and disadvantages, so it really depends on what you're looking for from an overall featureset standpoint.
The cheaper FZ1 is a 2MP camera with the same lens as the FZ10. There is also some firmware floating around on the 'net that'll let you flash it to an FZ2 equivalent. Basically gives a lot more manual controls and such.
Anyways, if you have questions about the FZ10, I'll try to answer them. Otherwise, good luck on your hunt. Looks like you have a lot of reading ahead of you
