Canon A540 vs. Panasonic LZ5

[Tudor]

I'd like to choose one of them:
Canon PowerShot A540 (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=850)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=799)

I want to use it for amateur photos (vacancies, friends, parties).
Which would be a better choice?
Canon:
- less op. zoom
- no image stabilization
+ more manual settings
Panasonic:
- less manual settings
- no usb2.0, no optical viewfinder
+ image stabilization
+ better zoom

It's really a hard decision... Can anyone help me with a versus?

[bascom]

I agree it's a close call but the LZ5 review here said, "Photo quality was hit and miss. The hits include good exposure, sharpness, and color, while the misses include noise, vignetting, and occasional blurry corners."

I'd lean toward the A540 or A700.