Olympus Pen E-PL1

I have very specific needs for my DSLR requirements, and spent a goodly amount of research time online prior to investing in my new outfit. I couldn't be happier. The Olympus PEN series created the smallest, full featured DSLR available. 12.3 was fine for me. I wanted a quality body with the SLR features that allowed me to add on specific accessories such as a wide angle lens without the fish eye attributes, external flash etc. Don't get me wrong this is a wonderful set up right out of the box!

The video quality is superb, the flexibility unmatched in its class, size, weight. I've now spiffed up the gear with all known accessories from external eyepiece (perfect for super high glare tropical ocean shots) to a small variety of lenses for specific needs.

The micro four/thirds lens design was another innovative edge from Olympus. It means I could interchange other brand lens with the common enough mount without dropping thousands of dollars when that level of professional investment isnt necessary for my work. I've been using the set up now for over 6 months. Hands down I'll continue to prefer this over my past experiences with Pentax, Ricoh, Nikon. This little baby packs superb quality in a small package. The Olympus website offers so much its unbelievable! Before you buy, be sure you check out this camera, or one of its cousins. The only tiny downfall I can imagine: If I was a large, over 6 foot male rough and Check them out on tough with gear and big hands this size camera wouldn't be my choice. However to have top end gear that will pack in for any weekend trip, I couldnt have possibly done better!