Olympus PEN E-P1 is not for me - because of the LX3

Clover, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

Sunset birches, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

Pond at sunset, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

I have now taken over 50,000 images with my Panasonic LX3 which I bought in September 2008. This is mostly due to my shooting style, taking half a dozen or a dozen slightly different photographs of the same subject in an iterative process.

The LX3 has been a great little camera. It made photography fun for me in a way I didn't think was possible.

Here are three recent LX3 photographs, from yesterday and today, showing different aspects of using the camera.

I have been eagerly following the first impressions and early reviews of the Olympus PEN E-P1 camera. I even browsed through the user manual, checking how well the camera supports my preferences in a camera.

The E-P1 does cater to my needs, even though some things seem to be more difficult than with the LX3. But there are ways of combining autofocus and manual focus shooting, and ways of tweaking so that you can predefine the settings you like and then forget about them.

The speed of the autofocus systems seems to be a possible worry with this camera, but I would expect the E-P1 cope as well as the LX3, which is not bad at all. And then there is the possibility of using preset manual focusing.

A comment on those who criticize the lack of a proper viewfinder on the E-P1. I'm not interesting in a viewfinder (electronic or optical) for my next camera, as I have been very happy with the LX3 "live view" display. A bit brighter display would be good for the summer sunshine scenes, but even here I haven't been unhappy with the display. It works great in most situations, and I like the shooting style which the live display allows (seeing more of the scene, not just the image on the screen).

What worries me about the camera are two things: the size of the camera and the adaptability of the lenses. Although the E-P1 is small compared to DSLRs, it is nowhere near a compact, not even the LX3, even with the 17 mm pancake lens. Thus the pocketability of it is in doubt. And I want a camera which I can carry easily wherever I go.

Another aspect is the versatility of the lenses. The 17 mm pancake (35 mm equivalent) and the 14-42 mm kit zoom are not bad, but as I'm doing also closeup (or macro) photography, I would need another lens, a macro as well. And there is the dilemma, as I would need to carry several lenses with the camera to match the capabilities of the LX3. This would make photography a different type of activity than it currently is, not as straightforward and easy.

I'm starting to appreciate my LX3 even more than I used to. The LX3 was a fine camera during the dark winter months, although I sometimes wished that the noise control and dynamic range would have been better at ISO 400 and upwards. But the f/2.0 lens is great.

Now, during the summer, I have started to appreciate the capabilities of the LX3 in good light. It is an impressive camera for landscape and closeup photography, and of course the occasional family snapshot. In good light the image quality of the LX3 has proven to be excellent.

My dream camera would be more like the LX3 than the E-P1. The same lens, improved noise control at ISO 400 and above, improved autofocus system (it seems that these are now rapidly getting better), with some little tweaks: fix the easily turning mode dial and the easily opening battery compartment door. Do these things, and there it would be, my dream camera, the LX4.

A sidenote to this speculation about the LX4. Considering the lens, I could perhaps live with a f/2.8 lens with 24-80 mm range or so, if the high-ISO capabilities of the sensor would increase by more than one stop. But otherwise, forget about changing the lens. The current 24-60 mm f/2.0 lens does a great job all to way from macro/closeup to wide landscapes.

All in all, it seems that I won't spend money on the E-P1 type cameras any day soon. But when the LX4 comes out, I'll definitely have a close look at it.