Originally posted by tibbitts On the other hand, the G11 doesn't seem to have a lot of competition. Did you consider any other models?
I considered the S90, Fuji EXR models, and Samsung EX-1 because of image quality, but the controls on the G11 really shine in comparison - ISO and exposure compensation dials plus another dial for Av/Tv, plus some useful buttons including a custom button.
I considered EVIL cameras for a long, long time. Nothing that has come out so far meets the compactness/versatility/price equation - see my suggestion in the OP. I tried the Samsung NX recently and was surprised to realize that if I am using Live View, I would prefer to be using controls (zoom, focus) that are on the camera, not on the lens.
As far as the viewfinder goes, on the G11 I see myself using almost exclusively live view, but the optical is not bad; only 77% but at least it zooms, and there's a Quickshot mode displaying all settings on the LCD when using the OVF.
The ME Super I've only had about a year. I had a K1000 a long time ago. I think I like the ME Super better for Av mode, although I kind of miss the analogue needle in the K1000 VF. I get about 7.5MP images from my Epson 2450 scanner. Ilford XP2 has very satisfying range/response compared to the digitals, there is so much I can do with those images in Curves. I'm really just getting started with the film stuff too. I could probably learn a lot from these forums.
Here's an image from last year as an example. In this one I basically used Curves to get as much texture as I could find and also have some pure blacks and whites.