I was somewhat surprised that Michael referred to the X1, DP1 and M9 as major competitors, as I would have considered the Panasonic GF-1 with clip-on viewfinder and 20mm [~40mm equiv.) as a much closer *practical* competitor, not only to the Fuji, but to all the others, as well. In my mind, all of these smaller, less expensive large-sensor cameras (not counting the M9) would have to be put up against the GF-1, by a careful shopper, to ask "Why this one, and not the GF-1?" That's because the GF-1 would seem to me to have a number of advantages -- its interchangeable lenses, the fact that it's a part of a system for which there are other bodies available, and so on. It seems to me that the main reason to choose a Fuji, or one of the others, is more a matter of *taste,* than of practical advantage, akin to the reasons people choose an M9, with all of its disadvantages, over, say, a Nikon D7000 or Pentax K5. I know that the X100 and the M9 can make exceptional photos, but so can the others -- and the others have long lists of advantages, while the M9, X100, X1, DP1 seem to me to have very few...except that some people have a *taste* for this kind of camera. But in terms of build quality, software quality, sensor quality, lens quality (again, excepting the M9) there's really not much there.
JC
