was just in the same situation..looked at everything..my choice came down to the ricoh (there is now a review at
http://www.dpreview.com/), the lumix and the sony R-1...i went with the sony...yes i know it is big, but it is the only one even close to canon or nikon DSLRs...none of the smaller point&shoot are close...amazing lens, big sensor, raw and as i just found out, amazing battery life, great lcd "finder" the actual finder is better then expected...never hit the buffer...yes it is almost the same size as the DSLRs, but it handles better and the lens is way better than anything offered in the starter kits...i bought it because i hate to shoot anything and knowing that i won't look at it because it is a lower standard...yes the files are not as good as from my DSmkII or phase back, but this is what i am comparing them to! and they hold up! i was also looking at the rebel, but i don't want ot run around with my good canon glass which is heavy and expensive (i might as well run around with my DSmkII, which i have done, but...) the R-1 is small enough to take anywhere and still delivers...anything that actually goes in my pocket..well, sony-ericsson came out with a 3.2mpix cellphone..the first moving lens phone, pics look great (good enough for snaps) and i know i will always have that in my pocket...