Yes, it's pretty light, I think mostly because it uses a mobile phone style rechargeable battery, rather than AA ones. I suppose it could be a problem if I do use it up while I'm away, but based on my brother's experience with his, it will last for a lot, lot longer than the batteries did in my other camera.

One of the things I like about it, and that you can't really see in this picture is that the controls on the back are sensibly arranged, and while the buttons are quite small they have enough clearance around them so you shouldn't hit the wrong one if you're in a rush. That's a big plus for me - I hate the way a lot of appliances have hundreds of tiny buttons, and it's almost impossible to hit the right one.

I know exactly what you mean about the shutter speed, my old one was quite a shock going from a film camera, but I suppose I've got used to it. This one does seem to be noticeably faster, though it'll be interesting to see how it responds in different light levels.