S90/95/100 makes sense because it gives best image quality in its class for a pocket sized camera. However the G12 is a rather large camera with the same image quality of the s series but with much inferior image quality to compact system cameras. Why pay top buck for a g12 when you can have the superior image quality and interchangeable lens ability of an Olympus Pen EPL1 for much less .
OK, your viewpoint is wrong on many levels and since I have both a G11 and a PEN (and have had other compacts and DSLRs) I think I am qualified to address this.
First, it is an open question as to whether the IQ of the S series is the "same" as the G series. While they share the same sensor, there is a camp (myself included) that feels the G lens is better over its entire focal range and hence the overall IQ is a bit superior. But assume for purposes of argument the IQ is the exactly the same or even that the S has some advantages on the wide end due to larger aperture. The G series has a different feature set that many folks prefer to the S series feature set - articulating screen, hot shoe, more direct control dials, etc. On this point alone your sense/no sense distinction is flat out wrong. Also, some of us prefer cameras of the G series size -- I know I deliberately put the S series aside when choosing an enthusiast compact because it was TOO small for me to handle comfortably.
Second, the comparison of G series to compact systems that you pose is unfair and also wrong headed. The problem is that you want to group cameras solely by physical size. That is your perspective and while shared by some is not shared by all, and I suspect your camp is smaller than mine on that point. These are different cameras and there are valid reasons to choose G series over compact system cameras and vice versa.
Third, your assertion that the G series performance versus compact system cameras is "much inferior" seems belied by the many excellent G series images posted on DPreview forums. The larger sensors of the compact system cameras obviously offer better dynamic range and better high ISO performance and more depth of field. But not all photography requires those advantages. In good light, the G series can turn out excellent images that many would have difficulty distinguishing from images taken by larger sensor cameras, especially if you are not printing large or doing excessive pixel peeping. Do some searching. There are a number of threads on this point.
Fourth, the G series has some advantages over bigger sensor cameras, especially in doing macro work. My G series will close focus at 1 cm without adding a special lens. My PEN won't -- the kit needs a more than a few inches. Plus, the deeper DOF on the G series can be a real plus in doing macro work. Even with a dedicated macro lens for my PEN, I usually default to the G11 for macro work. Plus, with the dedicated macro and 4/3 to m4/3 adaptor, my PEN is huge in comparison to my G11, a much bigger difference than G series to S series.
This takes me to my fifth point -- you assume lens interchangeability is always desirable. Well, it isn't and the fact that DSLR superzoom lenses sell so well and that many owners of DSLRs never change lenses speaks to that point. The point of my G series is to cover a large focal range (efl 28-140) with one fixed lens in a camera body/lens combo that is essentially the same size as just the body of my PEN E-pl2. I love my PEN, but it replaced my DLSR, not my G series. My G series is my carry everywhere camera. It fits in my coat pocket. My PEN won't, not with the kit lens, which only covers efl 28-84. That is why I choose to spend "top buck" for my G series. Once you add anything other than a wide angle pancake prime to a PEN like the EPL1 you mention or my EPL2, it becomes a bulkier camera than the G series. Some folks want the portability of the G series and all of the other features it offers that compact system cameras cannot offer.
I suggest you consider that other folks have different priorities than you do before you go off half cocked posting about what makes sense and what doesn't. If anything makes "no sense," it is rudely comparing cameras based solely on physical size. I wouldn't trade my G series for an S series under any set of circumstances. It is worth every penny I spent on it. It makes a lot of sense for me and the way I shoot and if you bothered to read all of the S vs. G series posts in the Canon forum you would see there that are plenty of folks that agree with me. The G series is a much longer running series than the S with many more iterations. Seems odd to me that such a "nonsensical" camera would do so well and have so many fans. You might prefer the S series and I happily grant you that. The S series cameras are fine cameras. But the fact that I prefer the G series to the S doesn't mean the S series "makes no sense."
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RaymondR
