I use my S5500 on a semi-pro basis; freelancing on occasion in hot spots like the Gaza Strip in Israel. I've covered PR tours and suicide bombings; shot desert landscapes and indoor portraits, still life and wildlife.

In my opinion, this camera offers most of the options of a true-SLR digital camera and isn't held back by its small size.

At low ISO's the shots are excellent and landscapers will be very pleased with its top colour renditions, minimal noise and overall image sharpness.

Autofocus is accurate [useful if you are a near-sighted parrot-beak like me].

RAW captures are possible.

The only gripes I have relate to the slow write-to-card times. This is a problem for action photographers / photojournalists. Combined with the S5500's slight shutter lag you will end up missing some of the action while waiting for the shot to be saved to the card. A faster card won't help you, no matter what the salesman says!

Bear in mind, that at this price you'd be hard-pressed to find anything that comes close to this kind of quality performance. Value for money? Yes, indeed.