The only real problem with those cameras is the user interface is a bit of a nightmare. They wanted the camera to be as small as possible, so that means that the same buttons and dials do different things in different modes and the viewfinder is a bit small (good viewfinders are big, expensive and heavy).
Here is your reality check, do with it as you will. Go buy really high quality negative film and find a good pro lab. You will pay about $3/roll for film and $10/roll for process and reasonably high res scan (good for 8x12 at 300 ppi) and the end result will rival any digital camera under about $5,000 for prints up to 8x12. There is the math, you have to decide whether that is worth it. Ask your lab what they recommend for film, they generally see one type more than another and can probably do a better job scanning one, but high end Kodak and Fuji are both good.
If you want a great, cheap lens to put on the camera, Canon's 50/1.8 is excellent and costs about $100. When I shot with Canon, a 10D (or EOS 5 for film), 50/1.8, 17-35/2.8 and 85/1.8 was my travel kit. Weighed virtually nothing. If I was on foot, the big bodies and glass stayed at home.
Maybe I should take a class?
