Lamenting the loss of F2.0...

I finally gave up hope of recovering my Olympus Camedia 2000.  While just a 2 MegaPixel camera, it carried a F2.0 lens which allowed some amazing available light shots.  With the extension barrel and a filter, I managed some very nice shots in low light situations.  Terrific lens and it beat the pants off some higher MegaPixel cameras.  Here are some samples from Point Reyes, Innsbruck, and the Exploratorium.  The night shot was an opportunistic shot from Panaromic Highway looking into San Francisco Bay, taken while bracing the camera on the car window.

I thought it would be simple to replace it but with the exception of the Canon Powershot G6 which runs F2.0-F3.0 (unfortunately, a clunky camera) the rest of the crappy prosumer cameras are all F2.8 and higher.  Olympus seems to have abandoned the inclusion of quality lens on their product line, I believe they had a F1.8 lens consumer digital camera out at one point.  The MegaPixel junk out there now forces a flash or shake in low light everytime.  Time to spring for that digital SLR and F1.4 lens...Nikon D series seems awfully attractive now.