Best of both worlds

I bought my G1 to replace an SLR-with-lenses that was taking all the fun out of vacations with it's carry-weight and fuss-factor. I also wanted the convenience of digital images. The G1 promised high quality images and a lot of top-notch capability in a small package, and it delivered. It was the best of both worlds, approaching the quality and flexibility of my bulky SLR outfit, but hanging like a little rangefinder camera in its neat black leather case. Thousands of crisp images later, including a lot of nice 8x10s, it remains my favorite camera of all time.
It took a lot of camera to replace my trusty G1, but the G6 is up to the task. The sharp,fast 35-105 is now a sharp, fast 35-140;the G6 is smaller and lighter than the G1; the flash is better; the LCD is bigger; the programs are more suited to experienced photographers, with two 'custom" settings;shutter lag is much less; focus is quicker, more accurate, and more flexible; metering is more flexible/useful;my batteries and memory cards work in this one, too;and-oh yeah-it's got 7.1 megapixels!
I missed my nice leather case, but got an Op/Tech neoprene one that seems designed for the G6 ( it's their "small"). An Adorama 52mm adapter lets my Raynox .72 And Kenko 2.0 converters work on the G6, giving it an effective 11X+ zoom range (OK, the Kenko vignettes, so you can't use it across the zoom range like the Raynox, but it's fine at the 180-280 equivalent range, and that's all I need it to do).
The controls are in the right places, as long as you are right-handed. Thumb for shooting mode, forefinger for shutter/zoom/focus options. being able to move the focus zone around is terrific!
The images this camera delivers are extraordinary. The combination of lens quality, the proven Digic processor, and all those megapixels produces images that truly rival film, let alone digital SLRs.
The gymnastic LCD, that can flip, revolve, and even face forward is a wonderful feature. Took a terrific night shot from the Ponte Vecchio in Florence with the G1 by resting the camera on my hat and turning the LCD to work like a waist-level finder. The G6 has a bigger LCD, snd it's brighter, so a good thing got better.
I use the viewfinder a LOT, so i appreciate the excellent one on this camera. I like the LCD, but i DON'T like those vid-cam TV finders—can't keep up with real-time motion.
I appreciate how Canon has refined and improved the G series. My terrific G1 has morphed seamlessly into my terrific G6, and the time i spent learning the G1, and the investments i made in batteries, memory cards and add-on lenses all pay off again. I like the fact that Canon still supports the G1 (check the website) and expect that five years from now, my G6 will enjoy similar support. And maybe by then, there'll be a G12 I have my eyes on...