Micro 4/3 vs DSLR

[cindy.marnell]

I have been using a point and shoot for a while and would like to upgrade. I really like the portability of my point and shoot as I can just keep it in my purse and use it whenever I see something photo worthy. I am very interested in the micro 4/3 cameras for this reason, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Is it a good idea to upgrade to one or should I just make the jump to DSLR?

[inkista]

It depends on what and how you want to shoot. For some things, µ4/3 is simply not as inexpensive or as easy to use as an SLR system. Lenses and other accessories are relatively limited, and can be expensive, compared to dSLR counterparts.

For some things, µ4/3 absolutely rocks, most specifically street shooting. But it's still not quite as responsive as dSLRs for action photography, nor is the high iso performance at quite the same level as dSLRs. And if you want to use new exotic lenses, they're mostly just not there, yet. (OTOH, you can adapt older lenses to it like there's no tomorrow, but you won't get any autofocus that way).

So, it depends on what you want to do with the system.

Right now, most people are using µ4/3 as a supplementary system--as a higher-end P&S they carry with them when the SLR bag is too big and heavy. Relatively few folks are using it as their primary system.

[OsmosisStudios]

Micro 4/3 is just too small a market right now to get me interested, and most of the offerings are too big to be considered truly pocketable. There are rumors of both Canon and Nikon APS-C offerings (Nikon DX, Canon 1.6x crop) in the mirrorless market by end of 2011. That's another year and a half, I'll admit, but the changes we see and the products that are released may very well be worth the wait.

[bono]

If you stick with the standard kit, Micro 4/3 is okay. Well, it is not very good in low light situations. But the lenses are quite good. But the market is limited and everything other than a standard zoom and a telephoto will cost you a lot of money. And there is not a lot of used equipment around which makes new lenses very expensive.

So if you want a cheap DSLR, go for the entry level models of Canon, Nikon, Sony or Pentax.

[inkista]

OTOH, if you really prize the smaller size and don't need the full-bore versatility of a dSLR system, you might be ok with µ4/3. For most folks, doing it as the P&S upgrade path hasn't made a whole lot of sense, yet, because the cost has been roughly the same as going dSLR, but that's probably going to change in a few years, as is the versatility of the system as more lenses/accessories get added.

You just have to keep in mind that the µ4/3 system is smaller, but more limited. Within those limits, it's a terrific system. And if you, say, want to travel ultralight, but you still want better image quality than you can get with a small-sensored P&S camera, then µ4/3 might still be the way to go.

My main recommendation would be to go and hold the cameras in your hands. They're not really pocketable in the sense that say, a Canon SD camera is pocketable. You can mostly only shove them in a coat pocket if they're wearing a pancake lens. And the size may actually disappoint you when you see one in person (the E-P1 was larger than I thought it would be when I finally got my hands on one).

Then, go lay hands on a Pentax K-x. The K-x is probably the smallest that dSLRs go. And Pentax are the only guys out there making pancake lenses for dSLRs. So if you want tiny, that would be the one I'd look at.

Most of us who shoot dSLRs just learn to carry a dSLR with us everywhere, or we also own a small P&S camera, so we've got the "always with you" aspect covered. In my case, the P&S is a Canon S90.

[Egy_lover]

as inkista said, try both in your hands and see how it feels, budget is an important factor to cinsoder, too..there are some light DSLR, not as light as the micro 4/3s but lighter than other DSLRs

[cindy.marnell]

After looking at some comparison pictures shot with both the olympus pen and a nikon dslr and the quality was higher for the dslr. The way I see it, if i spend a little more i'll get something i'm happier with in the long run.