After spending the weekend walking around Chicago, I have come to the conclusion that I would like a small, lightweight camera with a true wide angle lens, and a moderate zoom range. Something in the 24mm-200mm range, give or take a few mm's. I haven't had a lot of time to look yet, but if anyone has any suggestions to point me in the right direction, that would be great.

A few other things to consider.

This would be used for walking around the city, short day hikes, walking the dog, and something to carry in my work bag. I carry an attache bag with me to/from work.

I'm willing to sacrifice on the long end, in order to get a nice wide angle lens. Weight is a big factor as well. The main reason for wanting a camera like this if for it's size and weight. Even taking the battery grip off of my 40D, I still fond it a pain in the neck (literally) and shoulder to carry around the city. Manual controls are also a big consideration.

A view finder is important also.

Image quality is also important, but I know that I'm not going to match the IQ of a DSLR in a compact style camera.

The G9 seems to be the rage for this type of camera at the moment, but I'm not sure it's in the budget, so price is an issue as well.

I'm not looking for a pocket camera, but something small & light enough that it's not a hassle to carry with me when a DSLR is just too much camera.