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Yeah, $$. I looked at a lot of options, and the G9 seems to have it's ups and downs for reviews, but it has a lot of the features I wanted to try and work with without the SLR price tag. I think I got a nice blend of features for a every day camera that will hold me over for a long time.
Now you can start shooting in raw and your post-processing will actually pay off.
Learn the shutter settings to reduce over-exposure in bright light and reduce noise in low light and you'll be golden. Shoot anything and everything and don't be afraid to post on MNSC in the picture forum, I could only dream of being as good of photographer as some of those guys.