Boris Mann’s Personal Blog

Jun 2010

Micro Four Thirds

I've been jonesing for a new camera. Specifically, while I take a handful of pictures with my Nokia N95 that is with me everywhere, it's just not the same (obviously) as a great camera.

I've been quite happy over the years with my Canon PowerShoot "S" Series - I started with the S1, then ended up with the S5. The all in one, super zoom, great macro performance, and regular AA batteries are all great features. BUT. It's big and bulky, especially with the filter adapter that I always end up buying, and there is no upgrade path other than well, buying a newer model :P

I've been really intrigued by the Micro Four Thirds system - small, compact cameras with small form factor interchangeable lenses. That last link is to Wikipedia, here is the Micro Four Thirds section of the Four Thirds website.

Olympus and Panasonic came together and are using the same standard to make these cameras, and the lenses are interchangeable. I was initially attracted to the Olympus models, but after trying them out at London Drugs, the lower cost ones are made of plastic and feel cheap, and the metal body ones are more expensive and have less features than the equivalent Panasonic.

The first third party (Noktor) is also announcing a lens for this standard, so it is likely that a nice healthy Micro Four Thirds ecosystem will spring up over time.

So, yes, I'm scheming to get back into this game. The fact that R will (I'm sure) be glad to tote around a compact sized camera with DSLR quality doesn't hurt either.