I am looking for a camera that provides good quality pictures and short shutter lag time with a good optical zoom for hiking and taking outdoor pictures? Which do you recommend, Pentax Optio 750Z or Nikon Coolpix L1 or Fujifilm E900?

The Pentax Optio 750Z and its companion the Olympus C-7000 are both excellent and have a full 5X optical zoom. I own both and like them very much. You might also consider the Panasonic LZ-2 which has 6X optical zoom and IS, or the soom to be released LZ-3/5 cameras with the same 6X optical zoom and IS.

MT

Thanks for the info. I took a look at all three and I liked the fact that the Olympus C-7000 and the Panasonic LZ-5 had self-timers as well. The Panasonic with the ISsure looks good and I am now leaning towards this camera. I am not in a major hurry so I can wait until it is released. Do you know how the shutter lag is for these three. I had an older digital camera and it seemed to take forever to take the picture.

Thanks

As far as shutter lag goes, we won't know for sure about the Panasonic LZ-5 until we see the first reviews. The Olympus C-7000 is a bit faster than the Pentax 750Z. However neither is as slow as the older cameras.

MT