Dear Users!

I'm a newbie here and I'll frankly admit that my knowledge of photography isn't very broad. Currently I'm in China and my Olympus E-PL1 (yes, I'm an Olympus fan) was stolen a month ago along with my PC... I lost lots of pictures (thousands, as a matter of fact) and I need to buy a new camera since I'm going to stay here for a while. What I'm most interested in is taking pics of people and Chinese architecture... plus some landscapes. I know that kit lenses aren't equipped with large zoom but I don't really care about that. What I need is a good micro 4/3 camera with a large sensor that could give me a shallow depth of field... I don't want a camera that's going to interfere with taken pictures (like NX11 supposedly, which has a lot of noise reduction on the software level... nonetheless it does have a large sensor, doesn't it...) I don't take RAW pics, I need good quality JPGs with vivid colors. Sometimes I had a feeling that my E-PL1 took...hmm...how shall I put it...dreary pics but maybe I'm wrong.

Anyway, should I go for the same model or something newer? Can I really get a shallow depth of field with a micro 4/3 system camera?

Appreciate your advice!

May the Force be with you.

All M4/3 cameras have the same sensor size (maybe with the exception of the GH2 if you want to get technical). So, was the sensor of your E-PL1 big enough for you?

How shallow a DOF do you want? It would be difficult to achieve really shallow DOF look with any M4/3 camera + a kit lens. You need faster aperture or longer focal length to do that, so on top of the new camera body, you will probably need to invest in some lenses to achieve the type of shots that you are seeking.

Besides, M4/3 comes in all sizes and shapes these days, so unless you can be more specific in sharing with us what you like, and don't like about your E-PL1, if would be difficult to give you any advice on what camera model to purchase.

thanks hpkzee,

ok, here we go... what I liked/disliked about my E-PL1

+ its great looks... this old-fashioned retro style body
+ it was pretty good in low-light environment
+ solid body
+ good grip
+ built-in stabilization
+ detailed pics
+ I didn't notice any software-forced noise reduction
+ the price

- it was a bit sluggish to my taste
- no in-built viewfinder (but that's not such a big deal to me)
- small zoom (but I'm fully aware of the fact that micro 4/3 cameras are like that)
- a bit dreary colors in the neutral settings (but maybe I'm just being picky here, maybe they simply can't be more vivid and the color rendition is good enough)

I'm willing to invest some money in a better lens... I'm just not sure if I can buy any in China... I guess I could just buy a body first. I know that some people achieve pretty shallow depth of field with their E-P(L) series cameras... I'd go for a Sony NEX-5N due to its large sensor but the camera is not balanced well enough and I can't really grab it with a lot of confidence.

PS. Lumix GF2 is inexpensive too, GF3 only slightly more expensive but looks terrible and I suppose it's more... amateurish...

PS2. Can I use Lumix G 14mm/2.5 lens in E-series Olympus cameras? Is it a good lens to take pics of people and get some shallow depth of field effects? How about Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 G?

Based on the likes/dislikes you have set out above, here are some of my thoughts:
- If IBIS (in-body image stabilization) is important to you, you have to go with Olympus, since Panasonic m4/3 cameras don't have IBIS;
- Among the Olympus m4/3 cameras, I believe the E-PL1 and E-PL2 have the best grips (I personally don't like the button controls of the E-PL1 and prefer the E-PL2 ergonomic-wise);
- If you shoot strictly SOOC JPEGs, I was told that E-PL1 is the sharpest of all Olympus m4/3 cameras because of the weakest AA filter (I personally don't mind that slight difference);
- Another factor that turned me away from the E-PL1 was the slow focusing speed. In terms of AF speed, the 3rd generation PENs or the new O-MD E-M5 are lightning fast. The E-PL2 AF speed is somewhere between the E-PL1 and the 3rd gen PENs.
- Auto White Balance of 3rd generation PENs work better than the previous 2 generations.

There are too many things to list, and the above are just a few highlights of the different Olympus m4/3 cameras. At the end of the day, you will have to check out each of the camera online or at a local store (depends on availability also, I guess) to decide which design you like best.

Regarding the colors in neutral settings, you can actually customize it to increase contrast, saturation, etc. to your liking...

In terms of lenses, the 20/1.7 is a great lens to start with. It will give you decent subject separation if used wide open, but the Oly 45/1.8 will give you shallower DOF (the focal length will limit its versatility vs. the 20/1.7 though). You might want to get a 40-150 or the 14-150 as well to cover a wide zoom range.

Overall, there are just so many choices of camera bodies and lenses available out there, it is difficult to tell you what you should get, but starting with the above should give you good coverage for your time in China...

BTW, whereabout in China are you located? If there is no m4/3 gears available at your location, you can always swing by HK to pick them up! Good luck!

I'd recommend the epl2 with 25 1.4 and 45 1.8.

and since I'm Chinese, as every Chinese does, know there's a website taobao.com, on which you can buy anything, everything in very good price. I sold my p14 2.5 and Oly 14-42II there.

__________________
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jyc860923/
Panasonic DMC-GF3
Olympus PEN E-PL5
Panasonic Leica Summilux DG 25mm f/1.4
Lumix G Vario 14-45mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S.
Lumix G Vario 45-200mm f/4-5.6 MEGA O.I.S.
Sigma Art 60mm F2.8 DN
Lumix G 14mm f/2.5 ASPH
M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II
mecablitz 44 AF-1 digital

Thanks folks. I don't know why but EPL2 is more expensive than EP2... I know taobao.com, thanks! :)) Any other cameras that I should take into consideration?

I'm not sure if IBIS is so important... does it really make any difference?

PS. I'm up north in Taiyuan 'cause I'm not exactly on speaking terms with those huge "zhang lang" that live in the south (cockroaches) Hong Kong is far away...

I have a Sony A65, Canon 40d, Canon T2i, and I'll put the output of my E-PL1
against any of them.

Both of my E-PL1's take good quality JPGs with very vivid colors...

for example:










dreary pics and E-PL1 don't belong in the same sentence.

oh my fudging god... these pics are AMAZING! especially the last one! how did you take them? I can't believe they were taken with the kit lens... they weren't, were they?

the two nightshots were taken with the panny 20mm, the undisputed champion of pitch darkness night shots, gathering the stars...


the other two were taken with the panny 14mm, my dayshot go to lens, the E-PL1 set to vivid, that last picture of my Camaro, was shot at the mysterious Abo ancient ruins, in the high desert of New Mexico... Rain was threatening for this outing, but it never did rain, though the clouds carried a storm... and the land cried for water.....

thanks for your answer

well, the thing is that I can't afford to get two lenses... and I won't even try to pretend that I know a lot about what each lens is good for... what are those pancake lenses usually used for? 14mm and 20mm? what are their advantages and disadvantages? the only thing I know is that the brighter the lens, the better the pics and shallower depth of field...

I need to decide which camera I'm going to buy within the next few days... I'm going to buy a body + a good lens but I'm still not sure if Olympus E-PL1/E-P2/E-PL2 should be the one. I don't have enough money to go for the third gen but maybe there're some good Lumix cameras out there that can achieve even better results then PENs.

I don't know why but E-PL2 is more expensive than E-P2... in fact it should be the other way round, I suppose.

Thank you all for helping me out here!!!