Canon Powershot G7 - A Brief Critique

BLACK is back for the much hyped compact Canon G7, a brick of a camera which exudes quality. Unlike the previous model in this range the horrible plasticky G6. 10 Mega Pixels, 6 X optical zoom and a solid metal body, just like digital compacts four years ago.
But at the high street price of about £400 it is just £99 less than an EOS 400D. The G7's 35-210mm f2.8-4.8 lens is far better than the 400D's 18-55mm, but that can be taken off and replaced with a prime L series. It loses out to the G7 for sheer portability. Are any G7 users really going to take advantage of the hotshoe? The built in Neutral Density filter looks useful though. The Iso dial on the top plate is (I think) a first for any digital compact and will really aid creative photography.
Manual mode is a delight with speeds displayed on the screen in a linear window like mph on the old Vauxhall Astra GTE LCD speedo. Apertures are shown in similar fashion. The other innovative feature, which first appeared on a Nikon Coolpix, is the ipod like scroll wheel which really aids quick selection when hunting through the menu.
Even if I were not a Nikon user, would I buy it?
Perhaps at £175 which was the price I paid for my first Nikon FM2N which felt similarly solid.