Thanks for all the replies so far. The Galaxy Note's camera is also 8MP. Some of the pictures coming out of the newer smart phones can be pretty impressive.

I guess I was hoping that the camera on the Galaxy Note might be a step or two beyond the rest of the field; but it does seem likely that, as some have pointed out, it would fall short, in certain specific ways mentioned, of dedicated cameras -- though for some purposes it would be fine.

The Samsung TL500 was a great value at 339.00. It has the best screen in its class, and it is fully articulating. 'Nothing touches it at that price point', as someone put it, correctly it seems to me.

Today the price dropped to 295.00 on Amazon. Hard to pass up. USB chargeable. Fine, bright lens. Great build quality.