Yep, big difference between the old 850 and the 1030, 6000 & 8000. The 850 was a lower end "general knockabout" camera. The 1030 and the 6000/8000 have lenses better suited for appraisal work IMHO and the 1030 & 8000 are just built substantially better than either the 850 or the 6000. That said, having used the 1030 and the 8000, I'd say that the Panasonic blows them all away. Of course, it costs more, too, but I enjoy the performance more than saving a hundred bucks. I have only played with (not used extensively, nor do I own) the 6000 but it seems as though it is more like a wide-angle and higher MP version of an 850 while the 8000 is the new version of the 1030. I'd rate the still (barely) available 1030SW a much better buy at (say) $250 than the 850 at (say) $200. Not having used the 6000, I'd still pay the extra $90 to go to the Panasonic TS1. The TS1 and the 8000 are essentially the same price but the Panasonic is simply better, IMHO.
Hope this helps!
-Randall Garrett-
..Apex Software..
/end/
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I do not own one myself, but I do own a TZ50 - essentially a TZ5 with built-in Wi-Fi. I bought it as part of a test for a large customer. In use, I found the camera functions to work just fine and marked a noticeable improvement in the "OOB" (Out of Box) experience from previous generations of Panasonic compact shooters. Prior to the TZ5/TZ50 experience, we favored most Canon cameras for their superior image quality, but starting with the Panasonics in this series, the pictures taken with the Panasonics closely rivaled the Canons. (We're talking just regular work snapshots, not pro or semi-pro camera geeky type stuff.) We've seen the general quality of the Panasonic line improve with each generation. This is no slam on the other competing products and is just an observation shared by most of our user base who chooses to comment on stuff like this.