New Model

[Shadowman]

I'm a Nikonian through and through but happened to see the following models on sale at my local camera store. I was intrigued by the fact that this is a point and shoot body with interchangeable lenses. It is marketed as a non DSLR, has RAW function, but has what is called a live MOS sensor, not familiar with this sensor if it similar to CMOS or not. A friend was interested but we thought the camera would be too light to carry a large lens, it was suprisingly agile and handled well. Haven't seen any photos from this model yet though.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_se...p?product=1501

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_se...p?product=1552

[rob marshall]

John

I think that's a typo. It has a CMOS sensor, not a MOS. See here http://www.dpreview.com/products/olympus/slrs/oly_epl1s

The camera is a four-thirds system, just like my Panasonic G1. The format is 4:3 (4000x3000 pixels) which gives you the 12MP. The sensors are 17x13mm - slightly smaller than a standard DSLR, such as the Rebel, or the D90. I find the image quality of mine excellent for a small camera. Why have one? Well, it's great for me as I don't always want to lug the 5D around, and it's such fun to handle and shoot with.

Don't be put off by people who say the electronic view-finders (EVF) are no good. Bridge cameras used to have EVF and they were bad, but these 4:3 are much better. There are some advantages to losing the mirror of a DSLR - smaller camera, less weight, smaller lenses (the crop factor is 2x). But the biggest gain is that you can see through the viefinder the changes made by altering camera settings such as exposure, which you can't do on a DSLR.

[Shadowman]

John

I think that's a typo. It has a CMOS sensor, not a MOS. See here http://www.dpreview.com/products/olympus/slrs/oly_epl1s

The camera is a four-thirds system, just like my Panasonic G1. The format is 4:3 (4000x3000 pixels) which gives you the 12MP. The sensors are 17x13mm - slightly smaller than a standard DSLR, such as the Rebel, or the D90. I find the image quality of mine excellent for a small camera. Why have one? Well, it's great for me as I don't always want to lug the 5D around, and it's such fun to handle and shoot with.

Don't be put off by people who say the electronic view-finders (EVF) are no good. Bridge cameras used to have EVF and they were bad, but these 4:3 are much better. There are some advantages to losing the mirror of a DSLR - smaller camera, less weight, smaller lenses (the crop factor is 2x). But the biggest gain is that you can see through the viefinder the changes made by altering camera settings such as exposure, which you can't do on a DSLR.

Rob,

Thanks for the clarification on the sensor and the additional information. I prefer to read an unbiased assessment about electronics, sometimes you wonder about the glowing reviews you get in magazines.

[inkista]

Another good source of info on these cameras and compatible lenses is the micro four thirds site. The Panasonic m4/3 lenses can be used on the Oly cameras and vice versa. Whether one is stabilized or not can be up in the air, though. You may also want to look into the Sony NEX cameras and the Samsung NX: both of these have APS-C sensors; 1.5x crop, rather than 2x crop, like the micro four-thirds).

The other interesting "feature" of these small mirrorless compacts is that they're thin enough to use adapted lenses not only from SLRs, but also from rangefinders and half-frame SLRs. If you have any old M39, Contax G, Olympus Pen, or lenses sitting around, you can use them on these puppies. If you don't mind vignetting, 1" cinelenses in C-mount have also been used on them. Your glass options open up considerably if you're willing to use adapted manual focus lenses.

[Shadowman]

Another good source of info on these cameras and compatible lenses is the micro four thirds site. The Panasonic m4/3 lenses can be used on the Oly cameras and vice versa. Whether one is stabilized or not can be up in the air, though. You may also want to look into the Sony NEX cameras and the Samsung NX: both of these have APS-C sensors; 1.5x crop, rather than 2x crop, like the micro four-thirds).

The other interesting "feature" of these small mirrorless compacts is that they're thin enough to use adapted lenses not only from SLRs, but also from rangefinders and half-frame SLRs. If you have any old M39, Contax G, Olympus Pen, or lenses sitting around, you can use them on these puppies. If you don't mind vignetting, 1" cinelenses in C-mount have also been used on them. Your glass options open up considerably if you're willing to use adapted manual focus lenses.

Kathy,

Thanks for the information. The other dilemma would be functionality, interestingly enough one reviewer stated that with heavier lenses, the Olympus PEN series can get a bit unbalanced. The model was offered with two kit lenses just before Mother's Day, have to see if the offer return's for Father's Day.