(photography) just bought...

... a Canon S3 IS handheld digital camera.

While there is no dearth of extensive reviews of this camera everywhere, with loads of sample photos and colour charts and so on, this is one of the best reviews I have read:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/canon-s3-review.shtml

Luminous Landscape is one of my favorite sites, and Michael Reichmann, the author of the review and owner of the site, is a professional who really knows what he is talking about!

Best quote:

The lens on this camera is a 12X zoom with a focal length of 6 - 72mm and an aperture of f/2.7 (wide end) to f/3.5 (long end). The focal length needs to be put into context with its 35mm equivalent; 36 - 432mm. This is a huge focal range, and a very fast aperture for such a long lens. If this lens had been designed for a 35mm full-frame camera it would weigh 25 lbs and cost more than most cars.