Excellent while it lasts

I've been very satisfied with this camera and the high-quality pictures it takes - until last month. While is Europe, I've taken hundreds of pictures when one afternoon - after shooting all morning - I got a "Zoom Error" message on turning on the camera. I did not drop or abuse the camera in any fashion. Fortunately I was able to download the pictures but could not take any more, even though I went through the recommended motions of turning it on and off repeatedly. As sending the camera to NJ for repair, with taxes and shipping would cost about $150, reluctantly I decided to replace the camera with a S700.