Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 vs. Fujifilm Finepix F70EXR

[Sharpie]

I've been stalling on buying a new camera because I can't decide on what to get, but I think I've finally narrowed it down to these two. Now I just need help with picking.

I'm leaning towards the F70EXR for the following reasons:

It's supposed to be better for night shots and I really like the Pro Focus Mode where the background can be blurred out and make the shot look more professional.

However, it seems that the better night shots is mostly for inanimate objects (see this blog). I won't be taking shots at night of inanimate objects; they'll be shots of people probably moving around a bit. I also don't like that it's said this is mostly a 5mp camera. Then again, should this matter since I don't plan on ever printing pics at greater than 8x10?

Basically, the reason I'm leaning towards the F70EXR is because of night shots and the Pro Focus Mode, but I probably like the Lumix better for other reasons (not as steep a learning curve, better video, etc.) But if the night shots of moving people isn't actually better, I think I prefer the Lumix DMC-ZR1.

Please help me decide.

[Photo-John]

Night shots of moving subjects is more a matter of technique than the camera. A better camera never hurts. But you need to accept the reality that moving subjects in low light are difficult to capture. You will either have lots of noise, you'll need to pan (follow your subject with the camera), or you'll get blur. There's no way around it. No matter what the manufacturers try to tell you, cameras aren't magic and shooting at night is really, really difficult.

I'm not really sure which to choose, either. I am liking this pocket superzoom category more and more, though. Between Panasonic and Fujifilm I think it's a choice between image quality (Fuji) and features (Panasonic). I don't know if it will help, but I wrote articles on both cameras:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 Digital Camera >>
Fujifilm FinePix F70EXR - Pocket Superzoom With Super CCD EXR Sensor >>

It's a tough call. I know I've been a little frustrated with Panasonic's image quality in the past. But the features are getting so good I think I could forgive a bit of IQ compromise. My concern with the Fuji camera would be speed. I know the Panasonics are pretty quick. But I'm not so sure about the Fujis and it's been quite a while since I've used one.

[jenboy]

I also narrowed it down to these 2 cameras, I've been looking over reviews. It seems like I can't go wrong with either one, but wondering if you made a choice yet or not and what are the results of that choice?