I bought my F828 about a year & a half ago & have all but abandoned my MF system.
I purchased this camera becasue I was looking for a long zoom range, fairly compact package (compared with a DSLR) & a high mpixel count. I have shot several thousand frames with my F828 & I am still happy with it. My shooting has run the gamut: Product shots that get enlarged to 16x20, lots of technical stuff at work, landscapes, "macro" work & family shots. It has its drawbacks, but for me has represented the best series of compromises of any of it's competitors at the time I purchased. The CA problem has been an issue in a couple photos, but I photoshopped the worst of it out. The camera writes to the buffer painfully slow, but I've found that using jpegs works well with my end use ~ mostly 8 x 10's for a series of albums & a number of 11 x 14's. In short, the F828 has replaced my 35mm camera. The 28-200 (35mm equiv) optical zoom range is adequate for most of my needs. No lugging an SLR with a bag of lenses. I find that using this camera has re-energized my photography by making it fun, instant, flexible & very portable. I tend to leave my medium format system home a lot these days ~ just grabbing the camera, a tripod & a few filters.
Just for the record, I believe Michael replaced his F828 with the Konica-Minolta A2. I have looked at this camera after a co-worker purchased it & am still happy with my sony. I think it was the size & build quality. My camera doesn't seem gadgety or plasticy. It has a nice solid feel & the articulated body joint is still nice & tight.
if this is what you are looking for in a digicam, go to Best Buy or good Guys & play with one. Whatever you choose will have strong points & weak points. You need do decide which ones are important to you & use that to guide your choice.