What about four thirds?

[desmoface]

Hey gang. My old canon s30 is on it's last leg, so I started looking around at new smallish camera's to carry around. I also have an EOS 10d, but it's a bit hefty to carry around all the time. These new four thirds cameras sound like just the ticket, although they are a bit costly.

Of the two I'm kicking around, the Panasonic gf1 www.dpreview.com/reviews/PanasonicGF1/ seems to win on usability, while the olympus www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusepl1/ seems to win on jpeg quality right out of the camera.

Shooting the GF1 in raw mode seems to negate the picture quality difference, although the Oly really does produce jpegs that don't really need much processing - they look great.

To complicate the matter, it's rumored that Oly has announced that the EP-3 will be out soon - if they sped up the auto focus speed, and added a flash, it may be the ideal smallish camera...

This video really illustrates the speed difference between the two cameras:

[YOUTUBE]7UPzhidedFU[/YOUTUBE]

What do you guys think?

Steve

 

[WithTheGrain]

Not to get technical, but you are looking at Micro Four Thirds rather than Four Thirds. Four Thirds is their older system which may (is?) dying as we speak. I have an Olympus 4/3 and have really been happy with the purchase overall, but the new Micro 4/3 isn't there quite yet. For me, there aren't enough lenses yet. I have no doubt the lenses are coming, and I am sure they will be nice once there. But, I am not so much an early adopter and will wait for the system to further develop before I were to buy. If I were to guess (total guess based on Oly's past history), EP3 is next year. I wouldn't use that as an excuse to ignore the current offering.

Check out Kirk Tuck's blog, he has posted quite a bit about what he likes and doesn't like about the EP1.

 

[xillion]

Have you checked out the Sony NEX series? They have APS-C sized sensors, like your 10D, but in a very small form factor.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/SonyNex5Nex3/

 

[desmoface]

Hey gang, thanks for the replies. You know, the rumors are that the EP-3 from oly is to going to be out next month sometime, in time for the holidays...I'm curious to see if they sped up the autofocus and added a flash - And maybe even a viewfinder...

I actually handled a Sony NEX5 and was very impressed. I held the shutter release button down and that thing sounded like an uzi, LOL...it is definitely capable of taking a lot of shots per second and it seemed to be built like a tank. The reviews have been lukewarm on it, though, from what I can gather.

The micro 4/3's thing, while very intriguing, is really hard for me to justify at this time. I'm thinking if I get one of these, I may as well sell the dslr; and I'm not sure they are up to the dslr standards - Not yet, anyway...The benefit is the size, but it's not pocketable, so I may as well just take the dslr, LOL...And for what I'll spend on a new gf1, or ep-?, I can buy a nice new dslr http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos550d/ which will outperform it.

Anyway, I just picked up a new canon S95 to replace my aging canon s30, we'll see how that plays out as soon as I can find the time start messing with it. Maybe I'll post up some piccys

Steve

 

[rodeo]

Four Thirds is their older system which may (is?) dying as we speak. I have an Olympus 4/3 and have really been happy with the purchase overall,

Did you see that Olympus released it's new flagship PRO level DSLR the E5 recently? Very nice 4/3 camera indeed and I want one. The have acknowledged that they will not be offering the lesser grade 4/3 replacement bodies and feel that consumers will either go with high end DSLRs ala' the E5 or go with the micro 4/3 offerings such as the PEN. I am quite happy with my recent purchase of an E30 and myself will consider the E5 body when the price comes down to earth. I have no regrets selling off all my Nik-on gear and making the move to Olympus. For the current prices, the E30 is a good choice too.

 

[WithTheGrain]

If the ep3 comes out next month, it would be a pleasant surprise. Re the Sony NEX-- I admit that I haven't read all that much, but from what I have read people have suggested it is more for a point and shooter looking for interchangeable systems while the m4/3 are moreso for SLR shooters looking for a more compact setup. Again, I think it is way too early in either system to really know what it will all look like in a year or two when these systems mature. That said, I don't think the notion that bigger sensor = better camera necessarily works for this market....

Did you see that Olympus released it's new flagship PRO level DSLR the E5 recently? Very nice 4/3 camera indeed and I want one. The have acknowledged that they will not be offering the lesser grade 4/3 replacement bodies and feel that consumers will either go with high end DSLRs ala' the E5 or go with the micro 4/3 offerings such as the PEN. I am quite happy with my recent purchase of an E30 and myself will consider the E5 body when the price comes down to earth. I have no regrets selling off all my Nik-on gear and making the move to Olympus. For the current prices, the E30 is a good choice too.

I agree, the e5 looks great. I am cranky about the death of the "lesser grade" models. I am still OK with my e520, but want to expand my lenses. As it stands now, I am not feeling comfortable buying more until I am confident that either a) I can afford the pro model; or b) the lenses will work well on the m4/3 bodies. At this point, I am not so sure about either. I am sure that there will be an upgrade path for the lenses that I buy, but I just want some more idea of what that is. How are you liking your e30 btw? What lenses did you end up grabbing?

 

[desmoface]

I'm actually curious about how this micro 4/3's thing will play out, will cannon and n*kon jump on board? Will it play itself out and go away? Time will tell.

I actually love Olympus' image quality, and I've been kickin around the idea of getting the new pany gf1 or epl-1, or the new ep3. I like the functionality of the pany but I prefer the image quality of the oly, and I keep reasoning that it's all about the image quality.

But, if I go with a micro 4/3's, I may as well sell me dslr, but I'm not sure that new format has matured enough yet...I can't wait to see what the new ep-3 looks like.

Steve

 

[desmoface]

Now this looks really cool..probably come in at around the $1,000 mark..

I got that from dpreview, here's the info:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1009/10091910fujifilmx100.asp

Steve

 

[rodeo]

How are you liking your e30 btw? What lenses did you end up grabbing?

I love my E30 and that has me wanting a new E5. I bought two lenses to start off with, the 12-60mm tele and the 70-300mm tele. The 12-60 is a killer lens, very very fast to focus and a great walk around lens. The 70-300 is a real bargain for what you get out of it but it doesn't like shady conditions and will hunt for focus in all but bright days. Still for its focal range and quality photos, when it locks on its a winner (again, for the $).

Here's a few shots I posted soon after trying the camera out.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=166619

Oh, by the way, I firmly believe that Olympus will make sure the standard 4/3 lenses work well on the M4/3 mount cameras and I feel they will not abandon the 4/3 lenses on us. Right now their main focus is on the M4/3 stuff and M4/3 lenses but I expect new 4/3 lenses down the road.

 

[WithTheGrain]

I love my E30 and that has me wanting a new E5. I bought two lenses to start off with, the 12-60mm tele and the 70-300mm tele. The 12-60 is a killer lens, very very fast to focus and a great walk around lens. The 70-300 is a real bargain for what you get out of it but it doesn't like shady conditions and will hunt for focus in all but bright days. Still for its focal range and quality photos, when it locks on its a winner (again, for the $).

Here's a few shots I posted soon after trying the camera out.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=166619

Oh, by the way, I firmly believe that Olympus will make sure the standard 4/3 lenses work well on the M4/3 mount cameras and I feel they will not abandon the 4/3 lenses on us. Right now their main focus is on the M4/3 stuff and M4/3 lenses but I expect new 4/3 lenses down the road.

The 12-60 or the 14-54 is what I want to pick up, its a big purchase for me (well, moreso the 12-60 when factoring in little kids to pay for etc) and I want to have confidence that Oly will work it out. In the end I am sure I will pick it up on faith that it will all work out, but it would be nice to see whats coming. I do agree that the e5 looks like a great camera, now if they could only squeeze it into a e520 body...