I am a Chinese and forevre I am. so I don't buy Japanese stuff if I can make my choice. Have anybody heard about the Sony has been put in lawsuit for blocking other battery using on sony Camcorder? Maybe their products are good, but not as good as an only choice. Kodak is good and Samsung is not bad.
In my opinion, I would buy cheap one for 3-5 years and change another new model for next decade. because u know electronics upgrade so rapidly, maybe it's gabage for 2010. A digital camera with an extra SD/MMC card, that all u need. Not this brand memory stick or that brand name battery stick with special charger.