Olympus E-P3 45mm f/1.8
I'm still undecided as to what to do with my m4/3 gear. Yesterday I took out my Olympus E-P3 plus 12mm and 45mm lenses and both enjoyed the experience and got some useful pictures. I was shooting multi images, which I later stitched together using photomerge in Photoshop. This produced high quality, high resolution files.
Olympus E-P3 45mm f/1.8
Olympus E-P3 45mm f/1.8
Olympus E-P3 12mm f/2
Olympus E-P3 12mm f/2
Olympus E-P3 45mm f/1.8
However there's nothing here that can't be done using my Sony gear, and in many cases that gear can do the job easier, better and quicker, without increasing the weight I carry around.
Because of the improvements in the NEX-5n, from what went before, and because of what that camera offers in terms of image quality, dynamic range, high ISO performance, viewfinder, speed of operation etc. I'm finding it hard to justify using my Olympus and Panasonic cameras. The a77 with two prime lenses is also a very light outfit and that offers me 24MP, incredibly fast operation, built in spirit level etc.
Despite all this, I still love my E-P3 and have definitely got a yearning for the GX1. This is all well and good, and I never feel guilty about owning cameras. However I really don't like having cameras sitting on the shelf collecting dust and not being used. This is certainly the case with my Panasonic G3, and I don't want to see the same thing happening with a GX1. A burst of using it when it first arrives, followed by it just sitting there.
Because my two Sony cameras cover everything I need and want, the situation has changed from when my choice was between a heavy DSLR or m4/3. When the NEX-7 finally becomes available, offerering all those a77 MP's in a smaller lighter package, I can't really see myself using much else. The NEX-5n already does everything that a camera like the Nikon D7000 did for me. Its an extraordinary thing to write to think that such a small camera can do that, but then I never used the D7000 to its limit anyway. From the video I posted yesterday, you'll get some idea of how I work, and indeed that is how I use my cameras the majority of the time. I'm also convinced that the NEX-5n would handle any event or commercial work that turns up as well, I've tested it a similar situation and its fast, responsive and produces great images.
And yet I still love using the E-P3. And yes I love using it for more than its looks! Provided I use AF lenses (apart from the clicking 25mm f/1.4) and avoid fiddling about with manual focus, it works great. The new AF is a real improvement and the 12mm and 45mm are superb high quality lenses that are a joy to use. I can get high resolution and satisfactory file size, though I do have to do that by stitching images together, and they have great colour and sharpness. Its a bit more work, using the stitch programme and cleaning up the luminance noise from blue skies, but not that much, so if m4/3 was my only alternative I could live with it quite easily.
I really don't know how this will end up. Usually I decide these things on impulse, so don't be surprised if at some point I announce I have sold all my m4/3 gear. But then don't be surprised if I announce I've sold all my Sony gear either!