Micro Four Thirds Cameras - anybody know a bit about them?

[btaylor]

Hi Ladies and Gents,

A friend of mine has asked for some recommendations for a micro four thirds camera. I have never really looked into them so I'm struggling to come up with something. She's not a fanatical photographer like most of us so I would expect something mid range would suffice nicely.

Does anybody here own or have experience with micro four thirds cameras? At the moment I'm leaning toward the Panasonic DMC-GF3 as a recommendation, although I'm not entirely sure on what basis that recommendation might be.

Thanks in advance,

Ben.

[ham]

I think budget will make quite a bit of difference here... Some of them are pushing into 4 figures if I remember rightly (Olympus OMD or something? Or is that APS-C?)

[Steve U]

My beloved just bought a Sony DSC RX100. It is smokin' hot. Works very well, super portable, but more of a compact. A compact that shoots RAW and JPEG at 20MB, HD video, Zeiss lens, it is a hoot.

[btaylor]

Hmm thanks Steve I'll check it out.

[btaylor]

Just had a look Steve - I should have specified that she would like to be able to use different lenses. Looks like that one is a one lens job. Thanks though!

[Vermil]

Why a micro 4/3 then?

Why not an entry-level DSLR? It has a number of practical, real advantages of considerable importance. While micro 4/3's theoretical advantages look good on paper, they quickly evaporate in practice, if you're as serious about photography as wanting interchangeble lenses.

I apologize if I sound argumentative, but I just thought re-consideration might be an option.

[Busted Knuckles]

Why a micro 4/3 then?

Why not an entry-level DSLR? It has a number of practical, real advantages of considerable importance. While micro 4/3's theoretical advantages look good on paper, they quickly evaporate in practice, if you're as serious about photography as wanting interchangeble lenses.

I apologize if I sound argumentative, but I just thought re-consideration might be an option.

In my "return to photo" effort, I thought of 4/3rds opted for APC, and now I am full frame 5dIII so what the heck do I know??

I am betting dpreview.com would be a good start for recommendations. Like all other electronics, there seems to be a new, faster, better every few months.