Surprised by photos

Got some great pic, but takes a bit too long to get used to using the camera. Biggest problem was always forgetting to make sure the selector is on automatic, as it gets bumped & moved during normal handling.
The LCD screen is too small to use effectively, for my purposes, so I use the lens view finder for 99% of my pictures. I will use the LCD when I have to raise the camera over a crowd to take a shot.
I ended up using 1600 resolution for photos that I blow up to 8x10, and find it more than sufficient. The ability to see what u shot sure beats a 35mm.
Don't like the chintzy lens cap cover, but the camera has a nice feel to it, once u know where to place ur trigger finger.
Only other mode I've used is the MACRO, outside of AUTOMATIC. I only use the Optical zoom, & that is more than sufficient, plus it cuts down on lot on shakiness.
I use rechargeable batteries, one set always in a charger, for easy & quick switching. I have a dc input unit, but the 256mb chip I use is easily downloaded into a computer..I can get over 244 shots on a chip at around 1600mb resolution. I download and work on my pics right away, and clear the chip. No need for a bigger chip. If I'm gonna take movies, I'll buy a movie camera. Duh!
I'm ready to move up to the Z5 as it is the next model that has anti shake built into it.
Took class pictures, over 600, & have had over 14,000 looks at them. Also took pics on a recent trip to Canada. So did others, but they pics are still in their camera, or on their 35mm film.
Camera feels kinda tinny, & would like to have a larger LCD. I think the Z5 has what I want.