Up till now, in the toss-up between buying a DSLR and a compact, the DSLR usually wins every time; it has the image processing, lenses, and features to bury most compacts.
Lay eyes on the Olympus EP-1 though, and you might even forget about DSLRs for a temporary period.
The 1963-styled, yet bleeding-edge featured Olympus EP-1, bases its looks on the classic Olympus-PEN camera, but boasts interchangeable lenses based on the Micro Four Thirds platform.
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| The Olympus EP-1 up close: Olympus claims the camera delivers images comparable, if not better, than its own DSLRs |
The specs are certainly nothing to sneeze at: 12.3MP, Live CMOS sensor, 720P video recording, Olympus' latest TruePic V image processing engine, and up to ISO 6400, aperture, shutter and manual mode. The camera weighs 335g without lens.
Key here is the size. Unlike Panasonic's Lumix G1 Four Thirds camera (which we also like), this is a true compact.
The other key feature that separates this from other high-end compacts such as Canon's G10, Nikon's P6000, Sony's H series, and Panasonic's TZ7, is the ability to change lenses.
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| The 1963 Olympus PEN and the new EP-1 side by side |
The middle ground between cheap compacts and DSLRs is certainly shaping up as one of the most exciting areas for digital camera buyers in 2009. Whether you'd trade a true DSLR for a camera like the EP-1, we're not so sure - at $1,399 with a 14-42mm lens, it's not exactly cheap.
Still, if you're looking for a classy travel camera, or a second camera, then this camera is certainly unique.
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| The EP-1, with interchangeable lens |
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| The EP-1, with zoom lens shown |
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The EP-1, from above
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