enthuiastic compact or micro 4/3

[jakoky]

Hi there, i currently have a canon sx 260 (have owned many cameras in the past, mainly bridge cameras like sony hx100V and panasonic fz47). i am really wanting another camera that is better in low light and has faster autofocus and am really torn on what i should upgrade to.

I am someone who very rarely shoots in auto. I am torn between the olympus xz 2 and the olympus epl 5. (thought about the canon t4i, the canon g15, and a few others). I would love a camera i can grow with, but i have one fear of inter changable lens cameras, and that is getting dust on the sensor. I have no idea if this is something i should be concerned with, or it is something i dont need to worry about.

I am not sure if anyone has any knowledge on these two, or opinions on going 4/3 or enthuisatic compact, or if you have any other ideas for me! I appreciate any and all comments.

I mainly take pics of my family (kids and dogs) but my kids are older now, so possiblly grandchildren in the next 4 or 5 years. I woud like something better in low light, fast to focus, some sports. I do like the option of a touchscreen that i can use or not sure. Again, thanks for anything you can tell me.

sharon

 

[jewood1234]

Was in your shoes and went with the Olympus E-pm1. Really happy with it for low light and more control of the shooting experience. Obviously the lenses you choose will affect things greatly, but a kit lens and maybe one of the nice primes would make a great start!

Let us know what you decide!

 

[photo_chick]

Hi there, i currently have a canon sx 260 (have owned many cameras in the past, mainly bridge cameras like sony hx100V and panasonic fz47). i am really wanting another camera that is better in low light and has faster autofocus and am really torn on what i should upgrade to.

I am someone who very rarely shoots in auto. I am torn between the olympus xz 2 and the olympus epl 5. (thought about the canon t4i, the canon g15, and a few others). I would love a camera i can grow with, but i have one fear of inter changable lens cameras, and that is getting dust on the sensor. I have no idea if this is something i should be concerned with, or it is something i dont need to worry about.

I am not sure if anyone has any knowledge on these two, or opinions on going 4/3 or enthuisatic compact, or if you have any other ideas for me! I appreciate any and all comments.

I mainly take pics of my family (kids and dogs) but my kids are older now, so possiblly grandchildren in the next 4 or 5 years. I woud like something better in low light, fast to focus, some sports. I do like the option of a touchscreen that i can use or not sure. Again, thanks for anything you can tell me.

sharon

Dust on the sensor... you know, some people are plagued by it. And some never have any problems. I'm fortunate to have never had any issues. Never even had to clean the sensor on any of my DSLR's. I'm not especially careful, I'm actually pretty hard on my gear, but I do keep my lenses clean as well as the outside of the camera body.

As far as which camera... it sounds like you have some idea of what you might want. Have you been over to dpreview.com yet? They have some pretty good and fairly unbiased reviews as well as pretty helpful buying guides that give you a real idea of each model's strengths and weaknesses. They also have some good comparison tools.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Olympus 4:3 and m4:3 cameras incorporate an automatic dust reduction sytem that really works.

http://www.olympus.com.au/Learn---Explore/Core-Technologies/Automatic-dust-reduction.aspx

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2010/6/18/olyinventionaward

http://digitalphotographyvideos.com/dust-reduction-system-of-olympus-fourthirds-e-3-dslr/

It's one of the reasons I liked them. I take reasonable precautions changing lenses with my Oly dSLR and PEN cameras, but still am out there on dusty ball fields and beaches regularly and have never had a problem.

These are popular with travel photographers for this reason (as well as size). So it's not really anything you need to worry about!

 

[havoc315]

I won't say dust is never an issue, but it's not an issue that should keep you away from an interchangeable lens system. Millions of amateurs have interchangeable lens cameras and never notice dust issues.
And truthfully -- many people wouldn't even notice if their sensor did get a speck of dust.

I have an advanced compact and a dSLR. I love both.

But if you really want the ability to " grow" beyond the initial purchase, I'd strongly recommend you go with your interchangeable lens options.

 

[boBQuincy]

With interchangeable lenses we can get a much wider range of focal lengths and apertures than we can with a fixed lens. With micro 4/3 the lenses range from 7mm to 300mm (14-600 equivalent), including fisheye and macro. Maximum apertures of f/0.95 are available and with good sharpness wide open. To me this availability of lenses is important for capturing the scene in the way in which I want to interpret it.

Dust can get on the sensor but it is not that difficult to remove, especially without a mirror. Olympus E-PL5 has the latest sensor and it is the best in micro 4/3, same as their OM-D/E-M5. A sensor of this size and quality is going to be much better in low light than a compact camera (although some of the 1" sensor cameras are not far behind). Contrast Detect Auto Focus has come a long way and in micro 4/3 is now about as fast as Phase Detect (used on most dSLRs). Contrast Detect is generally more accurate and gives better results at wide apertures than Phase Detect.

With a range of 14-600 (equivalent) available it is even more impressive that this range does not cost a fortune nor weigh a (figurative) ton. For a typical dSLR (APS-C or FF) neither of these claims can be made. I often carry 3 lenses ranging from 7 to 175 in a small bag (Crumpler $4M home). However, even though some micro 4/3 lenses may cost less than their dSLR equivalents the good ones are not inexpensive, Panasonic's 12-35 f/2.8 (a great walkaround lens) is about $1000 and their 35-100 f/2.8 is about $1300.

 

[jakoky]

Well, i made my decision...Thanks for everything you were all able to tell me, i so appreciate it. I just ordered the olympus epl 5 and think i got a great deal. For the camera and kit lens, i got it for 524 canadian and then tax. Of course right now after hitting "buy", i am freaking out lol. I am sure i am going to love this camera and learning everything it can do. Thanks again!

 

[jewood1234]

Great choice! Now beware.....once that nervous, "what did I just do"? feeling goes away you'll get a new bug: Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS)!

You'll be looking for new add-ons, lenses etc!

Cheers

 

[boBQuincy]

Great choice! Now beware.....once that nervous, "what did I just do"? feeling goes away you'll get a new bug: Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS)!

You'll be looking for new add-ons, lenses etc!

Cheers

micro4/3AS? Just doesn't have a good ring to it.
Olympus 45 f/1.8 is a great portrait lens, you know you need it!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

FYI Olympus has some lenses, cameras and accessories on sale for Valentine's Day.

http://www.getolympus.com/featured_...aign=vday&utm_medium=email&utm_content=pre_hd

 

[SplashMo]

I would go with the EPL-5. Do not worry about the dust. You can get it cleaned if needed. P&S are much more dificult to clean. But the EPL-5 is a nice camera.

 

[Pugrpooh]

Great choice! I have the E-M5 and love it. First thing to do when you get the camera is to enable the Super Control Panel (SCP). For some reason, Oly doesn't enable it by default. From the SCP you can change most of the settings you need to without delving into the menus.

And I agree with boBQuincy - the 45 f/1.8 is a fantastic lens!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Great choice! I have the E-M5 and love it. First thing to do when you get the camera is to enable the Super Control Panel (SCP). For some reason, Oly doesn't enable it by default. From the SCP you can change most of the settings you need to without delving into the menus.

That is a really nice feature!

 

[JoeDif]

Great choice! I have the E-M5 and love it. First thing to do when you get the camera is to enable the Super Control Panel (SCP). For some reason, Oly doesn't enable it by default. From the SCP you can change most of the settings you need to without delving into the menus.

And I agree with boBQuincy - the 45 f/1.8 is a fantastic lens!

The SCP is such a useful feature that I don't know why it isn't a default setting!!

I second the 45 f/1.8 as a must have lens!!