put aside that question and ask urself,

the 4W with 1H, what,where,why,who and how.

we don't know ur preference at all, so how can we give advice

get it before too late, but somehow i regretted i bought for full body instead of front only, because the back piece is hindering a little bit to the dial button. but of coz it is no biggie

This post has been edited by creezalird: Nov 5 2011, 12:14 AM

its only my opinion, but of coz a lot of people use front and back too, includes me, lols.

its just some button/dial will be a bit recessed, but with after a few usages, u will get accustomed to it.

who : hobbyst
why : small size, cost, quality
where : not sure , event , people or landscape
what : not sure , event , people or landscape
how : buy from shop lols.

i can't really argue regarding the quality or so related, because in my opinion,
camera is one of the factor deciding the quality but the main factor is the photographer himself.

if u think, u will enjoy smaller camera system, then micro4/3 (ie Olympus e-p3) will suit u better.
because i have many frens,who bought DSLR and then just leave it inside the wardrobe.
Maybe they are not prepare to bring the large camera to everywhere.

i was once into DSLR too, almost all olympus DSLR i have used (e-410,e-420,e-520,e-1,e-3). just recently in a few month i move into mirrorless 4/3 (olympus e-p3)

first impression, almost all my picture blurred out, due to my instability using camera without viewfinder and also without high quality and fast lens such as Olympus 14-54mm f2.8-3.5

but after a few usages, i've accustomed myself and also got myself the Leica 25mm 1.4 which never leave my camera

truth to say, study urself first, and make sure are u ready to jump into BIG camera system or "small" camera system. if u are into small one, i will suggest, u buy the oly e-p3 and if possible add a good prime such panasonic 20mm f1.7 (low budget) or PL 25mm 1.4 (high budget)

TZNS1058 by creezalird, on Flickr


TZNS1096 by creezalird, on Flickr

Olympus e-p3 with PL 25mm 1.4

Budget: > RM2k ? typo maybe? because it can also mean that u can spent up to rm10k..lols

of course up to today, there are various generation of Olympus PEN.

the latest generation consists of Olympus e-p3 (high end), e-pl3 (medium/lite) and e-pm1 (mini/consumer low end)

basically all three use the same sensor and can be said the quality also has no different, if i'm not mistaken. The differences are only in certain physical factor, like extra direct buttons, dial buttons,touchscreen/tiltscreen etc and in software, almost no difference.

micro 4/3 sensor is basically the same size with the 4/3 sensor, they just remove the mirror and make the flange a little shorter,thus producing PEN series.

micro 4/3 sensor,compares to others like APS-C, main difference is the size. you can see it clearly with this comparison picture

if u prefer more buttons with extra touchscreen, go for olympus e-p3 ( costs around rm2700 with kit lens )
if u prefer tiltscreen, go for olympus e-pl3
if u prefer simplicity,more like compact camera, go for olympus e-pm1

for better indoor shooting, i recommend u get an external flashgun like metz 48-AF

but if u prefer no flash (due to weight or sumthing), get the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 (rm1450) but i've heard that the autofocus is not so impressive. but if u are shooting still static indoor, it should be no problem.

if u have more budget, certainly go for Panasonic Leica 25mm 1.4.
if u can live with a bit longer lens like olympus 45mm 1.8, this can be great lens too, only rm1k

are u sure? even shashinki is selling for rm2599
if i'm not mistaken, selangor foto at pertama complex, quoted rm2500 for this lens. but i went with PL25mm then

first question, is ur s95 behaving like that indoor or outdoor? because if indoor, s95 actually one of the most reliable compact camera for indoor shooting, but if u feel the need for micro4/3, let me remind u, by using Auto mode or what so ever related, will never make u a better photographer. using micro4/3 or any advanced camera system, u need to learn almost all basic of photography such as aperture,ISO, shutter speed and DOF etc.

first u need to justify urself if u can live with prime lens aka no zoom lens. because micro4/3 is kind of new system and still dont have good fast zoom lens, but already have many good prime lens such as Panasonic 20mm 1.7, Leica 25mm 1.4 and Olympus 12mm 2.0 and Olympus 45mm 1.8

if u can live with prime lens, i can recommend u get the e-p3/e-pl3/e-pm1, all of them have, can say the fastest autofocus system.

why dont u find frens who are using this system too and try them out? if not, just go and buy one, try live with the kit lens first, if that wont satisfy u, get any of the prime lens mentioned above, cheapest one oly 45mm 1.8 but kind of a bit long for normal compact user, maybe get the Panasonic 20mm 1.7

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Added on November 7, 2011, 1:09 am
say "MEOWWW" by creezalird, on Flickr

This post has been edited by creezalird: Nov 7 2011, 01:09 AM

the oly kit lens 14-42mm is not slow in term of Autofocus but i meant with slow Aperture f3.5-5.6.
for autofocus, it can be the fastest,even comparable to high end DSLR with good lighting condition.

all m4/3 lenses are interchangeable.

for example, right now i'm using e-p3 with panasonic leica 25mm 1.4

u can also use any other lens using adapter (manual focus only of coz)

welcome spiderwick

all three third generation PEN series come with kit lens 14-42mm 3.5-5.6 which is actually kind of good already for outdoor street photography assuming u dont stalking people from far distance..lols

e-pm1 doesnt come with built in flash but come with external small flash connected to the hotshoe if i am not mistaken. secondly, u are shooting mostly outdoor,street..so why need flash..lmao...just get a good better lens like pana 20mm 1.7 or get any long telephoto lens (manual) if u prefer stalking people..hehe

of course for macro shoot normally u need dedicated lens for that, but u can just find old cheap manual lens for that especially macro shoot normally are taken without autofocus.

i think u should just go to any shop nearby, ask them to try any of the micro4/3 model, if u feel satisfy, buy away..

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Added on November 7, 2011, 3:50 pmjloi, i'm actually just got back from germany, so i am not very accustomed with buy and sell here in malaysia.

can u recommend any shop where i can get a close view of many manual lenses maybe around KL? thanks

This post has been edited by creezalird: Nov 7 2011, 03:50 PM

oly e-pm1 + panasonic 20mm 1.7 sure looks cool in ur handbag

where u got urs B+W? i've been searching around for 46mm uv, but with no luck. on shashinki that one is super pricey..T_T

not sure about easily scratch or not, but currently using with screen protector, and still the screen as sensitive as normal it will.

if u found perfectly fit screen protector for the e-p3, do tell me where u bought it,
because mine is only covering the "ON" screen only, side glass are not protected

e-p3 rm2700
e-pl3 rm2300

if budget low, go for e-pl3 or e-pm1 and buy any prime lens like Panasonic 20mm 1.7 (rm1450)

details difference between e-p3 and e-pl3 and some intro e-pm1
e-pl3 review dpreview

NR - Auto
NF - Low/Off
Mode - Muted, -1 Sharpness
Gradation - Normal
Exposure Shift - -1/6
Auto ISO - 200 - 500 (max 800) depends on lens aperture

jloi, really nice pictures there... can u share with us the settings from ur camera as i see quite smooth picture here with less noise, but maybe u already removed the noise with post-processing

looks nice d@odao, where u bought it? cheap or not?

it is good to put more commitment in using the gears instead of pursuing for another brand. just my 2 cents

who care a diffuser if it can be bounced on wall or ceiling..lols.. but this is super nice feat..if i can crack my e-p3 flash so that i can bounce it vertically..lols