Quote Originally Posted by slitman
Pixchick, you are correct!

I am mainly looking for "point and shoot" use with the camera. Based on that, would there really be much difference, if any, between the pictures produced by both cameras?
The only difference is the noise level - Fz15 is less noisy thanks to the Iso 64 - I do not notice color differences - besides you will only notice the noise at the full resolution - if you dont need big prints it is not an issue for you (however I've heard that even in prints you are not gonna see the noise - but I've not proved that - maybe you can ask Bob on the Steves forum.)
You have bought a $550 camera, you should take advantage of the whole capabilities of this great DC - not only "point and shot"