Best 12 Megapixel 4/3?

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Al Patterson

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Now, I'll be searching the threads, but I'm wondering what the thoughts are here for best 12 Mpix 4/3? True, 16 is more than 12, but I'm planning on upgrading from a 6 megapixle DSLR. So, EPL-1, EP-2? Panasonic? Other?

Gotta buy before I have to pay mail order sales taxes.... ;)
 
Probably the best, at least most feature rich 12 mp m43 camera would be the E-P3 kit which is now going for under $369 new off ebay. Hard to pass that up IMO!

New E-P2 kits are going for $250, another killer deal!

I mean, all the cameras are good, figure out which one has what you need and how much you spend. Great time to buy a 12MP pen if you are a bargain shopper like me!

I'm still shooting my E-P1. Surprisingly, the E-P1's are holding their value more than I would have thought.

For little, I like the E-PM1. Last I checked, you could get factory refurbs from cameta camera for ~$200.
 
I favour the (by now quite old) Panasonic GF1. It looks business like and performs well. I dont think its age means it does not have top notch performance.
 
When you can find gx1 bodies going for as little as 200-250usd I can't think of a good reason to choose a 12mp body.

I use a ep3 and gf1 and would recommend ep3 because it was the best effort olympus could squeeze in terms of iq and image quality from that sensor
 
peterm1 said:
I favour the (by now quite old) Panasonic GF1. It looks business like and performs well. I dont think its age means it does not have top notch performance.
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Totally agree with Peter here. The Panasonic GF1 was THE definitive 12mp in it's day. However, for a few bucks more, and as others have stated, the later model 16mp GX1 is far superior.
 
Agreed with the others. The 12mp sensor, while not terrible, is junk compared to either of the 16mp m43 sensors.

Grab a GX1 or a G3 (depending on whether or not you want a viewfinder). The G3 blows the 12mp cameras out of the water in terms of image quality and it should be quite cheap now.
 
I would suggest spending the extra money for a 16mp camera, especially if you plan to shoot with sensitivities over 800 iso where the new 16mp sensor simply provides with better overall image quality.

The 12mp sensor gives good image quality with plenty of detail and, if managed properly, good dynamic range, but sometimes can show some residual noise in shadows even at low iso that you might not like

The choice between Olympus or Panasonic is mostly a matter of what user interface you like most and if you need the in camera image stabilization that Olympus offers
 
Agree that the Olympus standard 4/3 system is outstanding, especially the lenses. Also, the equipment is relatively cheap on the used market.
 
Sam N said:
Agreed with the others. The 12mp sensor, while not terrible, is junk compared to either of the 16mp m43 sensors.

Grab a GX1 or a G3 (depending on whether or not you want a viewfinder). The G3 blows the 12mp cameras out of the water in terms of image quality and it should be quite cheap now.
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I was just wondering how the 12mp sensor can be "not terrible" while simultaneously being "junk." If it were truly junk, I'd find that pretty terrible, especially if I owned one.

And how can the G3 "blow(s) the 12mp cameras out of the water" if you're no where near the water? Plus, neither are waterproof, now are they?

Sorry, but your choice of words is just more typical camera-gear discussion forum exaggeration. It reminds me of adolescent males arguing over the merits of a Porsche vs Lamborghini, when they've never driven either car.

I suspect either generation of u4/3 cameras could be put to good use in creating compelling images by a talented photographer.


~Joe
 
Keep in mind I'm upgrading from 6 to 12 Megapixels here. I'm always buying N-1 or N-2 versions in digicams, as I don't want to spend $1,000. $500 is about the upper limit these days, even for laptops or tablets. Done the $1,000 stuff which is now recyclables, want to lose less $$ during the usable (to me) life of "jumkyard futures"...

And yeah, I can afford to spend more, but having been out of work for a while I'm in debt and need to save for retirement, not buy the latest and greatest. I'll leave that to younger folks with more money than I have.
 
having owned or tested most of the m43 cameras, here's my favourites of the system limiting to 12mpx bodys only:

IQ: GH-1 (great DR, great BW files, a little weak jpg engine in colour but can be tweaked, raw files are great all over, swivel display, great grip and ergonomics, just enough external buttons, swivel screen makes it handy for legacy lenses too, decent hi-iso too for the sensor size raw is usable up to iso 1600)

colour: E-P3 (outstanding jpg engine, it's like shooting velvia up to iso 800. probably the best ever impremented jpg engine, not as sharp as the E-PL1 though)

sharpness: E-PL1 (budget body, lower low pass filter with near E-5 sharpness output, unfortunately plasticky body, with bad screen, and lacking external buttons)

allrounder: E-PL2 unlike the flimsy E-PL3 the E-PL2 feels like a real camera, also it has
the newer line of art filters, and good jpg output.
another great alLrounder is the already mentionned, GF-1, fantastic for the age, with great build and sharp files.

I sold all m43 I had keeping the GH-1 only, the files are very good, and to my eye the have something which comes close to M8 magic, also the 3:2 uncropped 12mpx feature is a big plus in my book, only the GH-1 and higher pixel count GH-2 offer this feature. video is still one of the best in class.

looks: the E-P2 in black looks great, unfortunately it lacks some of the great features of the E-P3

size: the E-PM1 hard to beat at that size and weight, for pure point and shoot few cameras excel it.

all that said, I have bad gas for a GH-3 but before buying I'd like to rent one to see what it will give me over the GH-1 in pure IQ, the ergonomics of the GH bodys are superb, the GH-3 is almosT identical to size to one of my favourite dslrs ever the Panasonic L1.

GH-1 (GH-2)
E-PL2/GF-1
E-P3
are my recommendations
 
Panasonic GX1 is going for $299 for the body.

Olympus E-P5 is going for $1000 upon release.


How much difference there is between the two in terms of image quality?
 
The EP2 is great for portraits. I use with it a Zeiss 85/1.4 and a Vivitar 90-180 macro flat field zoom for amazingly sharp images.
 
Any of the Olympus M4/3 before the OMD have anemic AF. The Panasonics have always had great AF, with the now exception of the OMD holding the top mantel.
 
Al Patterson said:
I doubt the EP-5 is three times the quality, just newer.
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$1000 for a body without a lens, EVF... and not to forget its sensor is M4/3... Its predecessor with the same sensor is selling for $500 including a lens.

The whole M4/3 market seems very confused and strange.
 
Sam N said:
Agreed with the others. The 12mp sensor, while not terrible, is junk compared to either of the 16mp m43 sensors.

Grab a GX1 or a G3 (depending on whether or not you want a viewfinder). The G3 blows the 12mp cameras out of the water in terms of image quality and it should be quite cheap now.
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FWIW, I recently bought a G3 from keh in bgn condition for $150, no cable or manual though, but the built in viewfinder sold me over the other models. The only cosmetic flaw was the rubber coating on the grip patch was peeling. I just rubbed the rest of it off.

That said I'm not impressed with its color accuracy or AWB, and some of the features seem half-baked compared to my 2007 Olympus e510. I don't know if the other 12 mp models are any better. Good luck!
 
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