Which m4/3 would you buy now?

[nightfly]

Just wondering what you guys think is the best buy in an m4/3 camera now, new or used.

Looking for something to use for street/travel shooting. Small, quiet and fast. Not concerned with using legacy lenses at all, just the wider side of the currently available lenses probably the Panasonic 14 or 20 (the olympus 12 while beautiful is too wide). Something small and wide-ish.

Although I tend to like dedicated knobs and wheels, I could see just getting most of my settings dialed in and shooting on auto if that's faster. Haven't kept up with the latest releases from Panasonic or Olympus but would be happy with an older GF1 or a newer EPL whatever. Really want something that's is good and quick to use. Will probably just shoot RAW and run through Lightroom so in camera processing not too important.

 

[Shade]

I just bought the EP3 single kit with the 45/1.8 lens. I'm loving it.

 

[rbelyell]

two biggest differences between panny and olly are: olly has in body image stabilization and olly has by far the better attachable vf. when using manual focus lenses both of these distinctions are extremely important.

if choosing the olly, i think the ep2 is inexpensive, extremely well made, and easier to customize than the epL series.

having said that, and knowing you specifically stated m4/3, i think if i were investing in a mirrorless system at this moment in time, and i primarily wanted to use that system with manual focus lenses, i would wait until the nex 7 comes out before i made a decision because the IQ may blow these others out of the water.

if i was primarily using it as an autofocus system, i would go m4/3 as the lenses are smaller and of competitive quality to nex system.

 

[jky]

For my particular uses - the EP3.
The ergonomics, add on VF, speed... all check marks for me.
I was waiting for the next Panny, but when I played with the EP3, i was hooked.

 

[Shade]

The nex7 is awesome, but a bit too expensive for my taste. The lack of IS and also larger set of lenses are something to consider about.

 

[mrisney]

Supposedly wait until November for the GFX1, from the rumors, it's everything we have been waiting for.

lens wise, 20mm 1.7, and the 7-14 4.0 are must haves.

 

[retnull]

Panasonic G3 with 20/1.7 can produce very good images indeed

 

[nightfly]

The lenses of the NEX series are the big turn off for me. You have this tiny body and then these giant lenses none of which is the focal length I want. Doesn't make sense. I want something compact and am not interested in buying wider Leica lenses than I already own just to get to the right equivalent focal length. If they made a pancake lens that hit between 28 and 35mm equivalent I'd be on it.

Since I'm not in a hurry I will probably wait to see if the GFX materializes and take a look at the EP3. Any thoughts on a used GF1? The bodies can be had relatively cheaply used.

 

[magicianhisoka]

GF1 works great. It is fast and snappy. Doesn't have the fancy bells and whistles like touch screen and tilting screens. But it feels more mature as a shooter camera than the GF2 and GF3.

Makes a wonder daytime camera. ISO 800 leaves me wanting for less noise. Great value for money 2nd hand.

 

[rbelyell]

hi

any reason for interest in old panny over last gen olly? both small, inexpensive, use same lenses, but only olly has in body IS. i use ep2 to very good effect and can definitively say IS adds much to the process. plus if you ever did want to add vf, olly is far superior to panny.

vs ep3, also a good cam, i do not believe the extra cost over the ep2 is worth it unless this is to be your primary cam.

 

[johne]

The samsung NX 100 has same sensor size as my Nikon D80. Also, with adaptor, I can attach all my Nikon lenses. I also think one can get Leica M adaptors, hoping to use my lenses for IIIF also. John

 

[jsrockit]

Olympus EP3 with Panasonic 20mm f/1.7

 

[johne]

See johne images for recent Samsung NX 100 images.johne. Pleasantly surprised.

 

[nightfly]

The Samsung seems like a bit of a dead end system. I guess it doesn't matter if I like the lenses but the m4/3 stuff just seems to make a bit more sense.

I found the EP2 to be a little heavy for what it was. Definitely felt solid but was pushing almost Leica like weight. Wouldn't mind trading a little more cheap/plasticy feel for a lighter camera. Maybe one of the EPL's. Not sure how the GF1 compares weight wise to the EP2/3.

 

[Joe Vitessa]

I tried out a G3 at a camera store the other day and was impressed with its EVF. I don't want to shell out $200 extra for an EVF on the Oly. It's also slightly bigger than the EP3 so I would assume balance better with legacy lenses. Still holding out for something less expensive than a NEX7 but with a similar crop factor.

 

[shadowfox]

Olympus EP3 with Panasonic 20mm f/1.7

+1

Or, you can wait for the Pro model which hopefully will have a built-in EVF.

 

[al1966]

Any will give you good photographs. If you want a built in eye level viewfinder then Panasonic is the only option, but no in body IS. I use an EP-1 and am quite happy to not have the eye level option, bonus is you can get them for very little money now. I would not update to a newer model but would be tempted by the Nex with the 16mm(24mm), but I do think the µ43 cameras have far better ergonomics. If you are tempted to shoot video then a Pana GH1/2 with the hacked firmware is supposed to be fantastic.

 

[DNG]

I have a G3, excellent ISO all the up to 6400 compared to earlier sensors.
Good ergonomics, and for MF, a "Picture-In-Picture" 4x view..

Full HD Video, as the GH2 minus a few features, but, great video non-the-less.

The E-P3 has a tweaked sensor, and is comparable to the G3 sensor in IQ in many respects. The Plus for the G3, is 2-fold.... Built-in EFV, Articulating LCD, the Minus is no IBS... Both are Aluminum bodies, and well built.

 

[semilog]

GH2 or GH3.

 

[Paddy C]

I've been looking into 4/3rds for some time now. My conclusion:

The Panny G3 would be my choice if making a purchase (and I might be soon). It has a noticeably better sensor than all other Panny and Oly offerings (excluding the GH2). Tiltable LCD, built in EVF, and best video (excluding the GH2). All for a very reasonable price (B&H has it for $627 w/kit zoom right now).

The long-rumoured GFX is starting to firm up and it will not have a tilting LCD or a built in EVF according the latest (and likely reliable) rumours. It will also use the same sensor as the G3 but different processing. Despite having more direct control options (knobs etc) it doesn't sound better to me.