MFT cameras are pocketable in certain combos, for specific values of pocketable - my GF2 with 14/2.5 or 20/1.7 fits (very tightly) in jeans pockets. Not in a useful manner, or a way that's great for the camera. Fits fine in cargo pant side pockets or jacket pockets.

Honestly, I don't think any of the current crop of enthusiast cameras other than the S series from Canon are really fully pocketable - the LX3/LX5, Z series from Oly certainly aren't. The Canon G series never was, and neither are the Fujis, not really. All are coat-pocketable to a greater or lesser degree.

I prefer having a bag to stash them in but if I don't have a need for a bag for any other stuff, I'll pop them in a coat pocket. And this works just fine. The only really compact 'kit zoom' is the not-so-popular 14-42 X zoom - all of the others, including the collapsible Oly, are significantly bulkier than the pancakes in terms of pocketability.

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EOS: 5DII, 30DIR, 24-105L, 35L, 135L, 15/2.8 FE, Σ 50/1.4, Σ 105/2.8 macro
Mu43: GF2, E-M5, P14/2.5, P20/1.7, O45/1.8, P7-14, O12-50, P12-35, P100-300
Legacy: Contax Zeiss 50/1.4, 35/2.8, Leica R 50/2.0, 28/2.8, Pentax 50/1.7

Ha! It's actually a goofy reference to the movie "The Outsiders"...I use that user name on a guitar forum, so why not here!?

I have a Nikon D3000, and I typically don't mind the size/weight of it. It's pretty small by dslr standards I think.

I was attracted to the m4/3's systems because I do have a few older lenses that I would be able to use with these cameras, and since I've got a trip coming up, I thought it would be a great time to do it if they were more portable than my D3000. At this point, I'm not sure if I want to continue to invest in Nikon glass and then upgrade to a better Nikon body at some point, or switch to m4/3's altogether. I'm not sure I would want to invest in both, as my main hobby (guitar playing) is also quite expensive

Yeah the D3000 is definitely one of the smaller DSLRs available, however, it still dwarfs cameras:
Size comparison of Oly E-PM1, Nikon D3100 and Oly E-M5

I understand your point about not wanting/needing a DSLR and a system. I'd suggest you should definitely give a camera a shot before investing any more in the Nikon platform. I think that once you handle the cameras and see that they can do anything your D3000 can you'll feel differently about putting up with the bulk of the DSLR.

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What mattia said sums it up for me too.

I have a GF2 also - my first 'serious' camera in fact, selected specifically because of its small size but excellent image quality. I can fit the GF2 with a pancake like the 20mm f/1.7 in a jacket or cargo pants pocket. Even the 14-42 M.Zuiko kit zoom (when closed) can fit in a jacket pocket on the camera, but in either case not something I'd want to carry in a pocket on my jeans or something like that.

I also have a Canon S95 and it takes excellent images with quite a bit of manual control options available. If I need a true pocket camera and I'm not setting out with photos in mind, the S95 would be my choice. That said, when I'm going out most of the time I will just carry a small shoulder bag with my MFT gear instead. It's less uncomfortable to me than having a camera bouncing around in a pocket and I have room to bring whatever lens(es) and photo gear I want, with room left over for other stuff. I tend to carry a bag anyway so it just naturally became my "camera bag" when I started getting more into photography.

To me, a large part of the appeal of Micro Four Thirds is good image quality in an interchangeable lens camera that's smaller than a DSLR but not necessarily "small" if that makes sense. It's not what I consider a 'pocket camera', but I can carry 2 bodies, an UWA zoom, superzoom, telephoto and a couple prime lenses in a small shoulder bag. With the same bag I'd be lucky to fit even a small DSLR and one or two extra lenses.

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“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” -- Dorothea Lange

I think you need to better realize your expectations and needs.

What are you going to do with the images? Only on-screen viewing, or do you print at large sizes? If the former, then a compact camera will deliver practically indistinguishable image quality, be more portable, and have more zoom range. Your imaging needs (bright daylight, still/well lit museum subjects) are not really that demanding.

For most of us, it isn't that m43 is SMALL as much as it is smallER than a DSLR with roughly equivalent IQ. I would not consider ANY m43 camera/lens combination to be considered "pocketable", but as mentioned above, they will fit in jacket pockets and cargo pants where a DSLR would not, and you can carry a body (or two) and a selection of lenses in a bag that might only carry one DSLR with a lens.

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Well said. Agree with you that μ43 is not pocketable, especially for those of us who live in climates where jackets are worn for ~10 days per year!

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Chuck

Thanks for reminding me of another "advantage" of living in soggy Seattle...my is "pocketable" upwards of 9 months of the year. ;)

Sent from my Android phone using Mu-43 App

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Sarcasm is my default tone, so please consider that before taking offense to the preceding message.

Criticism (no matter how harsh) is welcomed of ANY and ALL images I post.

I love your beautiful city - liquid sunshine and all!

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Chuck