I have been very excited for my new camera to come. Reading review after review (Thanks to Steve and his site http://www.Stevehuffphoto.com) led me to the Olympus E-P3 as my next camera. Choosing to make the investment into the Micro Four Thirds Camera (MFTC from here on out) field. I have been looking at the MFTC since the GF-1 was released with great interest. The idea of a high quality camera that I can put in a jacket pocket for dinner or have all the lens I need for portraits, landscapes, and wildlife is greatly appealing to me.
After some motivation from my Father (check out some of his photos here
http://dwkee.blogspot.com/) I ended up at Samy’s Camera to look at the various competitors. The GX1 (originally my first choice) just seemed to much like a point and shoot camera but would provide a nice small package if one was looking for a smaller setup. Next was the nex-5n, the larger sensor was very appealing but the overall feel was too Sony for me(not necessarily a bad thing). The Sony feel for me is more like a Holo-imager from Star Trek (sorry I have been watching too much Voyager) and less like a camera. The new Sony line also seemed to be lacking lens choices.
My final decision finally came down to the Fujifilm x100 and the Olympus E-P3. I know what your thinking "very different cameras". Fixed lens X100 vs the interchangeable E-P3. Going into the store to look at the cameras I was ready to go with the E-P3 and start my journey into the MFTC world. I then took a look at the x100 picked it up and looked through the view finder to take my first shot. Wow what an amazing view finder I though to myself, I think my decision just changed, I want this, I want this, I want this! The lens clicks and the view finder changes from optical to the electronic replay of the image I just took. WOW! Gorgeous!
So how did I end up with the E-P3 you ask? Well I continued to shoot around the store with the X100 and suddenly realized the auto focus was severely lacking compared to the E-P3. Out of about 10 photos 6 of them were out of focus or focused on the wrong point. Then I notice, when using the viewfinder in the optical mode the framing of the photos was off when looking at the images on the back screen. On no I thought to myself all of issue I read about with the X100 were showing themselves proudly in the first 15 seconds of using this camera. At that point I decided its E-P3 for me, the amazing fast auto focus, great touchscreen (something I never though I would want or like), and just great amazing style.
So now here I am waiting patiently (maybe not so patiently) for my new silver Olympus E-P3 to grace my doorstep with the 14-42mm kit lens to start my journey though the MFTC world. Photos to come soon...
