Anyhow, the Panasonic TZ100 is what I went for - controls felt better - similar to what I'm used to from Nikon, even if actual operation is something I'm getting used to; a lot of functionality and options crammed into relatively few controls, but it does appear to be sufficiently customisable, and the viewfinder is acceptable (no EVF is good, compared to optical, but it wasn't as bad as the review suggested).
If you want examples of what I can do with it, you'll have to wait.