Street photography, travelling

Thanks man, all signs are pointing towards the X100

X100 is way better in low light than a 550D. Fantastic image quality and stunning viewfinder and nice handling make it a compelling compact. You are restricted to the fixed 23mm lens (35mm film equivalent) so it can pose a challenge to get close for discreet photography. It does take some camera knowledge to operate properly. Not a beginners camera. But a rewarding camera. Consider an X10 as well. Not as good in lowlight but excellent image quality and with a 4 x zoom. G1X only beats X100 on zoom range. Not much else (flip screen is useful).

Thanks Doug, I had the chance to handle the X100 last week and it feels really good! I like the sturdiness of the G1X but it's almost as cumbersome as the 550D, kind of superfluous really. I'm going to go for the X100 :)

I have had mine for a year and still love it. Even better with the latest firmware. Enjoy!
PS; I have DR on auto and shadow tone on std and highlight tone on med-soft. I use auto ISO (max 3200 and min shutter 1/40) and usually -1/3 Exposure comp. I use aperture priority 99% of the time. Ooh nearly forgot - it is well worth getting the Fuji leather case. Pricey but it means you can ditch the lens cap and much in proves the handling. Flip open shoot then close.

You're wonderful. Thanks for your wisdom and generosity, probably would have taken me 6 months to figure out those settings ;)

You are welcome. (that's minus 1/3 exp comp by the way - arguably not needed on this camera but in general most digital cameras tend to blow the highlights). Any questions email at my Flickr address http://www.flickr.com/photos/dougbm/
Lots of good info on various forums too.