I read your G1 review and can concur with most of your findings, although must criticize your analysis at least in part.
I bought a G1 body with 28 and 90 lenses in Tokyo last October (I also bought the proper G1 hoods, which are ridiculously overpriced) and non- Contax 46mm UV filters - apparently no longer in production in Japan, by the way, except by Contax. (Editor's note: 46mm filters suitable for Contax are made in brass mounts with hard coating, to a high standard, by B+W of Germany, who also supply most other unusual sizes).
I was never satisfied with the focusing accuracy with the 90mm lens when used wide-open, as in existing-light photography. In addition, in dim-light situations, a brilliant LED on the front of the camera flashes to assist the AF system, which makes the photographer rather obvious. The G1 is therefore hardly a Leica replacement for photojournalism or existing-light photography in general.
Your discussion of the AF system was, unfortunately, too superficial. Base length by itself, or even base length times magnification, are misleading characteristics in comparing an AF system to an MF system. The resolution of the CCD sensor itself must be considered: how many pixels are sensed per mm of distance on a frame? "Magnification" is used in MF rangefinders to facilitate the eye's recognition of an in-focus or out-of-focus condition (i.e., superimposed image or not, for example) but how is magnification used in a CCD sensor? I have asked the U.S. distributors of this camera for further illumination on the technology of the G! AF but have never received a reply. None of the magazine reviews I have seen of the camera has discussed the specifics of the AF system either.
As for the inconveniences, such as the small lens-change button, useless MF feature, etc., I concur with you.
After using it for a few months I concluded the G1 was no more than a glorified point-'n-shoot and for that, much greater ease of operation could be obtained with a smaller, much cheaper, zoom camera. I traded my G1 for a CLE system with 28, 40, and 90 lenses in very good condition. I hope the G1's new owner is happy, but I wonder...
David Kilpatrick replies: I am attending a Contax technical seminar at the end of April with other magazine editors and R & D staff from Kyocera Yashica and Carl Zeiss. We shall raise these points, and many more, and no doubt have all the workings of the G1 and its successor/s explained. A full report will appear in the May edition of PHOTON but may be added a little late, probably in the first week of May.