Fuji HS10 or Panasonic FZ100?

[Chimera]

I have been interested in these cameras and cannot decide between them. Both have a viewfinder and powerful zooms, and both seem to be good cameras by the reviews with fast burst shot modes.

the Fuji stands out because of its very impressive 30x optical zoom, while the panasonic FZ100 "only" has a 24x zoom, but I still like the fuji zoom range better. Most of the reviews I have seen seem to give a slight edge in image quality to the Panasonic, and good image quality is a very important part of the choice. The panasonic also seems to have a faster shutter speed, which I believe is needed for good fast action shots? and a better time between shots.

How would battery life compare betewen the 2? The panasonic uses a lithium ion while the fuji uses AA rechargeables.

The panasonic claims to have "intelligent zoom" which increases the zoom to 32x. what is intelligent zoom? marketing speak for Digital Zoom? does it result in image quality loss?

I have also looked at the Olympus 590 and the Canon SX30 which has a 35x zoom, but a slow burst mode.

I would really like to try a DSLR, but they are too expensive for me right now, and I cannot afford the camera plus lenses, so I am looking at these 2 models.

How would image quality from the HS10 or FZ100 compare to the quality from my panasonic FH20? they all use the same size sensor, right?

Thank you for any help and advice you can give!

[eyalg]

You seem to have read a fair amount of reviews,
and already have all the details down. They do all have the same sensor size,
and even though the FZ100 has a CMOS sensor, image quality is comparable.
I would prefer the HS10 for its zoom range and perhaps for its ergonomics,
but it's a close call, and although it's hard - you just have to make up your mind.
It's not an easy choice between them, but as you already know - they are both
excellent cameras so you will not go wrong with either of them.
Did you already hold them in your hands or just read online reviews?
If you haven't - that would probably help you decide.
Do it quickly. Black Friday is just around the corner.