IMHO, the primary relative strengths of each camera are as follows: the C-730UZ features a very long focal length zoom range but "only" 3mp of image resolution, whereas the C-5050Z is an all-round good performer with 5mp but much shorter focal lengths. I would therefore suggest that you ask your friend to base his decision on his response to this question: which is more important to the type of photography he does, long focal length or higher image resolution? Yes, it is true that the C-5050Z is the newer model and therefore has more bells and whistles (in particular the ability to use CF cards and a flash hot shoe), but in the end I would not say that one model is necessarily better than the other under all circumstances; the two were designed for different purposes, so it depends on what one's own photographic aims are. Just my two pennies' worth.
