Newegg: Olympus PEN E-PL3 Black 12.3MP Digital Camera with 14-42mm Lens - $500 w/ FS (available in red, black, or silver)

[QUOTE=shnitz;49039266]Not gonna happen. The prices of m4/3 lenses hasn't gone down much, and that lens is being sold faster than they can make it. If you want a cheaper alternative, the Sigma 19mm f/2.8 is a larger, non-pancake lens, and it's 1.5 stops smaller aperture, but there's a good chance that it has more even border-to-border performance. It's basically the lens from the DP1 repackaged into a micro 4/3 mount and the NEX mount. Here's the performance on a NEX-7:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jero...868109832/


That's a good idea for many people. Nearly the same camera, the only significant difference is that the screen doesn't tilt on the E-PL2. Olympus has clearly been watching the competition and trying to keep their products up there by introducing new features.


Eh, that's half true. The E-P1, E-PL1, and E-P2 are old-school operation, small screen, slow, etc. Skip them unless you get an amazing, for-pennies deal on them with a lens, and even then, understand the shortcomings. The E-PL2, however, is actually the first new-gen PEN. You won't see any real performance difference between the E-PL2 and any of the new PEN cameras. It has the larger screen, faster operation, faster autofocus, etc.



Man, you're sorely mistaken about cameras, consider people who are much more invested into photography and photography news than you. There are many people here refuting your "knowledge," yet you keep spouting nonsense. There are a few reasons that you're selling the S100 so quickly:
-It's a pocketable camera. A true, regular jeans or pants pocket camera. These Olympus cameras are sort-of pocketable, depending on what jacket or cargo pants you're wearing. The S100 is more like the standard deck-of-cards digicam.
-The PEN cameras are more intimidating to many people, as they are interchangeable lens cameras. The average person isn't going to be intimidated by a Canon point and shoot, even if it's their top of the line, manual-capable point and shoot.
-Many photographers with larger SLR systems want a camera like the S100 as their pocket camera. So, they're buying the S100 as a backup camera, while the PEN cameras are too close to their SLR systems.
-Canon is a much larger company, with much more brand recognition. People see Canon advertisements all day long, so they trust Canon more. Heck, you'd have an easier time selling a Canon than a Linhof, Leica, or Hasselblad as well, does that mean that Canon cameras are better than those cameras?

Really, if you see someone that's a fanboy or an anti-fanboy that is either vehemently towards or against a system, then it tells you more about that person than it does the system. The NEx-5n is 40% more at $700, and the NX200 is $900. Is the camera 40% better? Eh, maybe, maybe not, depending on how you shoot, what accessories you're planning to buy, and how much you value $200. This Olympus has decent image quality for the size, and decent operation through well-thought-out ergonomics. The E-PL3 has a standard hotshoe. That counts for a lot. It also has a standard stereo mic plugin. It also has wireless flash capability with an FL-50R or FL-600R, giving you quite a bit of creative control. You keep saying "same price point." They are not in the same price point. Show me a sub-$600 deal on either camera you mention, that I can buy TODAY, from an authorized dealer, or your comparison is worthless.

Unless you have a LinkedIn account you want to show us, I see no reason to trust your judgement over the whole of Sony, Fuji, etc. Heck, you keep parading Sony around as a better system, so consider asking yourself that if Olympus is so toxic as you claim, why is Sony, with all of their accountants and analysts, looking to heavily invest in them? Did Olympus kick your grandmother or something?[/QU

First of all the olympus is a 899.99 retail price camera that had its price drop to 699.99 msrp. Why would they drop the price of such a nice camera if it was indeed that great? Also the Samsung could have been had for 549.99 from bestbuy or Frys when its on sale just like the Olympus when it was on sale for a couple of hours for 500. No, Olympus kicked get your grandmother when you bought the camera cause you got suckered into buying it. I am on SD due to great deals, not due to being a fanboy of anything. Even the Sony nex-c3 is a better camera then the pen3 and they are in the same price point without discount. So enjoy getting suckered into that camera while i have my samsung nx200 at 549.99 which is better in every aspect to your pen3!

This thing is no longer available I'm tired of getting tease by it

At the end of the day, either camera is capable of producing quality pics. It's more up to the photographer and learning how to use the camera. Just because a camera has better specs such as a larger sensor (such as the NX200) does not mean it's automatically a better camera.

I had the NX200 (yes the 549 deal) and sold it because the JPEGs sucked and I did not want to use RAW all the time. I personally would rather have the Olympus because I know the JPEG engine is MUCH better than the NX200.

[QUOTE=Mydiscover;49041292]

Quote from shnitz : Not gonna happen. The prices of m4/3 lenses hasn't gone down much, and that lens is being sold faster than they can make it. If you want a cheaper alternative, the Sigma 19mm f/2.8 is a larger, non-pancake lens, and it's 1.5 stops smaller aperture, but there's a good chance that it has more even border-to-border performance. It's basically the lens from the DP1 repackaged into a micro 4/3 mount and the NEX mount. Here's the performance on a NEX-7: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jero...868109832/ That's a good idea for many people. Nearly the same camera, the only significant difference is that the screen doesn't tilt on the E-PL2. Olympus has clearly been watching the competition and trying to keep their products up there by introducing new features. Eh, that's half true. The E-P1, E-PL1, and E-P2 are old-school operation, small screen, slow, etc. Skip them unless you get an amazing, for-pennies deal on them with a lens, and even then, understand the shortcomings. The E-PL2, however, is actually the first new-gen PEN. You won't see any real performance difference between the E-PL2 and any of the new PEN cameras. It has the larger screen, faster operation, faster autofocus, etc. Man, you're sorely mistaken about cameras, consider people who are much more invested into photography and photography news than you. There are many people here refuting your "knowledge," yet you keep spouting nonsense. There are a few reasons that you're selling the S100 so quickly: -It's a pocketable camera. A true, regular jeans or pants pocket camera. These Olympus cameras are sort-of pocketable, depending on what jacket or cargo pants you're wearing. The S100 is more like the standard deck-of-cards digicam. -The PEN cameras are more intimidating to many people, as they are interchangeable lens cameras. The average person isn't going to be intimidated by a Canon point and shoot, even if it's their top of the line, manual-capable point and shoot. -Many photographers with larger SLR systems want a camera like the S100 as their pocket camera. So, they're buying the S100 as a backup camera, while the PEN cameras are too close to their SLR systems. -Canon is a much larger company, with much more brand recognition. People see Canon advertisements all day long, so they trust Canon more. Heck, you'd have an easier time selling a Canon than a Linhof, Leica, or Hasselblad as well, does that mean that Canon cameras are better than those cameras? Really, if you see someone that's a fanboy or an anti-fanboy that is either vehemently towards or against a system, then it tells you more about that person than it does the system. The NEx-5n is 40% more at $700, and the NX200 is $900. Is the camera 40% better? Eh, maybe, maybe not, depending on how you shoot, what accessories you're planning to buy, and how much you value $200. This Olympus has decent image quality for the size, and decent operation through well-thought-out ergonomics. The E-PL3 has a standard hotshoe. That counts for a lot. It also has a standard stereo mic plugin. It also has wireless flash capability with an FL-50R or FL-600R, giving you quite a bit of creative control. You keep saying "same price point." They are not in the same price point. Show me a sub-$600 deal on either camera you mention, that I can buy TODAY, from an authorized dealer, or your comparison is worthless. Unless you have a LinkedIn account you want to show us, I see no reason to trust your judgement over the whole of Sony, Fuji, etc. Heck, you keep parading Sony around as a better system, so consider asking yourself that if Olympus is so toxic as you claim, why is Sony, with all of their accountants and analysts, looking to heavily invest in them? Did Olympus kick your grandmother or something?[/QU First of all the olympus is a 899.99 retail price camera that had its price drop to 699.99 msrp. Why would they drop the price of such a nice camera if it was indeed that great? Also the Samsung could have been had for 549.99 from bestbuy or Frys when its on sale just like the Olympus when it was on sale for a couple of hours for 500. No, Olympus kicked get your grandmother when you bought the camera cause you got suckered into buying it. I am on SD due to great deals, not due to being a fanboy of anything. Even the Sony nex-c3 is a better camera then the pen3 and they are in the same price point without discount. So enjoy getting suckered into that camera while i have my samsung nx200 at 549.99 which is better in every aspect to your pen3!

Quote from Mydiscover : Then why is everyone buying that crap canon s100 P&S camera? I have sold over 10 of the canon s100 cameras on craigslist right away on the same day with good profits. I will take the canon s100 over the olympus any day. At least i know I will get support from a great company. And if you need a m43 camera option, Sony nex5n/nex c3 and samsung nx200 are all much much better options then the Olympus especially at the 500 price point.

It's pocketable. That would be the only single reason to choose the S100 over the PL3. Well, that and price. Now quit being a troll and go post in a thread for a product you're actually interested in because none of your posts showed any proof, evidence or valid reasons why this isn't a good camera outside of the financial status of the company. Keep in mind Texaco, GM and Dow Corning all survived Chapter 11. Their key was a profitable core business. The general rule of thumb (according to people smarter than I) is the larger the company, the more likely they are to re-emerge. But I guess that doesn't apply to Olympus

Now if you actually want to get a clue, Click here [flickr.com] and paruse the pool photos. Then you can travel here and see the lowly PL1 [flickr.com] that started the PEN series with it's lack of a focus assist lamp and slow moving parts.

The PEN series in general has a much larger sensor, Much faster min (0.25ms < 5ms) and much longer max shutter speed (1min > 15sec). The ability for much better glass, and the kit lens is pretty damn good. Also consider the Canon's lens doesn't even hang at f/2.0 for long at all, topping out at f/5.9 as it quickly drops from 2.0 as you zoom in. Even the Pany LX5 does better than the Canon in regards to image quality. But the Canon is pocketable. That's what it comes down to. I grab my S100 when I'm on the go in social settings. Where I want something to toss in the pocket and have in the hand and not notice it. It's a social camera, but one desired by people wanting better image quality than a typical P&S. I don't know in any world where the much larger sensor, better lenses and fast operation will play 2nd fiddle to the S100, and I love my S100.

Review 1 [cameralabs.com], review 2 [trustedreviews.com], review 3 [ephotozine.com] and review 4. [digitalversus.com]

And again, if you don't care about the articulating screen and dealing more with the menu for changing settings, you can get the E-PM1 for $170 less.

Olympus won't go out just like that.
Ignorant folks need to know that camera is only a small part of Olympus' business.

Besides, any cameras will become a doorstopper, in time.
If you think you could keep your camera longer than several years, you're fooling yourself.
Be it be D800E or 1D-X, newer technologies will always arrive. That's called progress.

Just buy one that you want, use the heck of it, and enjoy it while it last.

Quote from dbpaddler : Didn't want that to sound like i was taking a shot. There are some phenomenal pictures to be seen on the web [flickr.com] that can speak wonders to the pic quality, not to mention it has one of the better jpeg engines out there with most people using it shooting in jpeg. There's quite a few blog posts from pros that love it as a camera for street shooting and show some really nice examples. So hearing certain negative posts would just make one question the shooter or the camera being a lemon that needs to be sent in to Olympus, which is always possible. And quite a few people on dpreview that have owned previous gen PENs have commented how fast the PM1/PL3 are too. Guess it's all moot though being it's OOS. The PM1 deal is still around though. If you don't need an articulating screen and more button control, you can save almost $200.

thank you for saving me from making a huge mistake. I went back to target and they had one of the two left on clearance. I bought it and have to say, you were right. This camera is awesome. I had to have got a defect on my first go around. I'm still not fond, well used to the handling of the camera but ive taken about 60 test shots under various lighting conditions and the quality was flawless. this camera is also amazingly fast. I owe you one!

Quote from Mydiscover : Buy your pen3.... I have my samsung nx200 for 549.99... lets compare how your pen3 can beat my camera in terms of specs pic quality. Ooops! it can't. LOL

PM1...virtually the same as the PL3. $320. For $90 less than your NX I'd have the wide and tele zoom in a smaller easier to carry package with better overall lens selection should I choose to expand and still have excellent image quality compared to using my s100 and when I don't need to drag my Nikon DSLR out. I guess you need to defend purchasing your NX by trashing everything else, not to mention ignoring my entire post and resorting to an argument my 8yr old niece would make.

Imagine how much more use you'd get out of your NX if you spent less time hopping into every PEN thread you have no interest in and trashing it. And on your S100 selling...I just sold my PL1 for $30 more than I paid for it. Go figure.

Quote from dbpaddler : PM1...virtually the same as the PL3. $320. For $90 less than your NX I'd have the wide and tele zoom in a smaller easier to carry package with better overall lens selection should I choose to expand and still have excellent image quality compared to using my s100 and when I don't need to drag my Nikon DSLR out. I guess you need to defend purchasing your NX by trashing everything else, not to mention ignoring my entire post and resorting to an argument my 8yr old niece would make. Imagine how much more use you'd get out of your NX if you spent less time hopping into every PEN thread you have no interest in and trashing it. And on your S100 selling...I just sold my PL1 for $30 more than I paid for it. Go figure.

Get back to my argument.. The NX200 is alot Better camera then the Olympus PL3! Especially when it is only $50.00 difference when they was both on sale. Dont be green with envy over my purchase. LOL

Not envious at all because the NX200 has horrible JPEGs...already sold mine...Plus opinions are pretty worthless since everyone has one.

Quote from Mydiscover : Get back to my argument.. The NX200 is alot Better camera then the Olympus PL3! Especially when it is only $50.00 difference when they was both on sale. Dont be green with envy over my purchase. LOL

Could someone please advise on an upgrade lens for the epl2? I have tried to research it but I would like a suggestion from people who are knowledgeable as I am not so much? I will be taking a photography class for my new camera to learn how to use it. I like a good zoom. Thank you all so much

Quote from theresamax : Could someone please advise on an upgrade lens for the epl2? I have tried to research it but I would like a suggestion from people who are knowledgeable as I am not so much? I will be taking a photography class for my new camera to learn how to use it. I like a good zoom. Thank you all so much

There isn't one right answer. If you want a higher-grade zoom that covers the same range of your lens, there isn't one. If you want a good telephoto zoom that gives you a little more magnification, get yourself the m.Zuiko 40-150mm, or if you're really willing to step up, the 75-300mm which is a pocket cannon for wildlife. If you want to take amazing architectural and landscape photos, or if you like capturing a lot of a scene, get yourself the $1,200 Panasonic 7-14mm wide angle lens. Overall, your current 14-42mm lens should be enough for a photography class. By the end of the class, you will know what additional lenses are right for you.

Quote from Mydiscover : Get back to my argument.. The NX200 is alot Better camera then the Olympus PL3! Especially when it is only $50.00 difference when they was both on sale. Dont be green with envy over my purchase. LOL

Well your argument turned to me, and I didn't pay anywhere close to your NX or the PL3 for virtually the same camera. And I already own APS-C gear I'd take over the NX every day of the week and twice on Tuesday with lenses the NX can't begin to touch. Micro 4/3 also has a much better lens selection not to mention converters to use a lot of glass. The Oly jpeg engine is also better and when the iso climbs on the NX so does the aggressive noise reduction. Your also carrying around bigger and heavier gear and that matters for some in this category.

So open your eyes and see it's different strokes for different folks. People place value in different areas and you flat out don't see it and have the blinders on to appreciate it. The bottom line is arguments like "my camera out resolves your camera", "my jpg's are better than yours" are all bung. There are people out there than can take better pictures on a $100 point and shoot than you or I ever could with either camera. If you're happy with the pictures you take, the feature set works for you and the ergonomics and handling do the trick, then what does anyone care if you're using X over Y. And to get heated about it is just a pure waste of energy.

And regards to lens options, unless you have a specific need to fill I'd go with any fast glass prime. If you look around at all the blogs and such by the PEN using pros, they all keep some fast prime on the camera for general street shooting with the pany 20mm being the obvious choice and I believe the 14mm as well which is a little more pricey. Otherwise, the advice above to stick with the kit lens, go through the class and then figure it out is a good idea. If you shoot with the kit lens for a bit you'll start to see what you're missing. Need more reach, less DOF, wider angles and so on. Then start looking for another lens.

Quote from faheyd : OK, I just did the NewEgg preferred account to get free financing and FW for 3% cashback (15 bucks). I think I will get 10 bucks back on the 1st/2nd statement. So about 474 for me, free ship and no tax to NV.

OOOOOhhhh, I got $20 back from Newegg preferred account,
so $464 for me.

Was on the phone for 1/2 hour with the local camera guru here in Reno. He says this camera is very good. He says to get the adapters from ebay, and all your old minolta, pentax, etc, lens will then fit on your micro 4/3 camera.
Example:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/160775368...1497.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110773330...1497.l2649
Quote: Equipped with lock & stop pin.You can shoot with manual mode or aperture priority mode.
Auto Focus will not be available, and it's recommended to use Manual / AV modes.
Although the lens will fit physically, automatic diaphragm, auto-focusing, or any other functions will not operate correctly while using this adapter.
In this case "stop-down mode" will need to be used when metering since the lens does not have the ability to have its aperture controlled by the camera body.
This listing for one piece MD to M4/3 adapter,with a free rear cap.
Unquote.
So of course there are adapters for others, these are just the ones I need right now.

Of course for your fun times: http://shop.holgadirect.com/colle...lympus-pen
And on your win7 computers, use Irfanview for viewing your pics, and gimp for editing them:
http://www.irfanview.com/
http://www.gimp.org/