For anyone who may be interested:
I went ahead and bought this camera. My experience is overall positive.
I paid $245. It is a discounted price off the listed price, through an Amazon seller.
The camera's pluses are: a wide angle lense; a range of zoom 26-676mm; and high ISO sensitivity (up to 6,400); 14mgpx. No need to carry and change lenses for zooming.
The minuses are being bulky (ain't a pocket size "aim and shoot"); somewhat heavy weight; requires 4 AA lithium batteries. It has all other features that are in the Kodak Z980.
It was a good buy for the price.