I have been using a panasonic gf3 with 20mm and kit lens for the past 2 years as a travel camera/video camera. I am happy with the result when there is sufficient light. However when I push the iso above 800, the images loses all the details. I am looking at the EPL5 as a budget replacement. Based on the reviews and sample images it seems to retain good details up to 1600 and perhaps 2500. For a $300USD budget, are there better choices than the EPL5?
That's a pretty good price for an EPL5. Your other options in this price range are the EPM2 (worse build quality and no tilt screen, but costs about half), and the Panasonic G5 (bigger, worse build quality, slightly worse IQ, but a lot of features). Both will deliver great pictures in low light!
Any Oly with the 16mp sensor is going to have roughly the same image quality. With PM2 bodies in the $125-$150 range, its hard to go wrong with. I had a GF3 for a while and replaced it with a PM2 and haven't looked back at all. It works very well with the 20mm.
The EPM2 looks like a pretty good alternative. It seems to retain details well at iso1600. Thank you for the suggestion.
I liked the IQ from my PM2. I had a GF3 and found the PM2 to be a more solid camera (IMO). My problem with the camera was with the controls. I was too ham fisted to turn the little wheel on the back of the camera effectively. In spite of the ergonomics issue for me, the E-PM2 made a great travel camera.
If you buy used/refurbished EP5+17mm+VF4 and dump lens and viewfinder, then you can get EP5 body for less than $400
