Originally Posted By: tanstaafl.
The FZ50 is not a pocketable little point and shoot. It has the size and shape and the adjustability of a DSLR, but without the necessity of hauling around a wheelbarrow full of lenses and accessories. With the manual zoom control and no need to swap lenses it is operationally superior (IMHO) to most DSLRs.

It seems to me, then, that you've traded quality for nothing, then. Much of my shooting is done with a single zoom lens (35-200mm, I think it is).
The only accessories I generally take are something to clean the lens, and sometimes a small tripod.