I recently changed camera formats when I sold my DSLR and lenses and bought an Olympus EPL2 micro four thirds. I will still use a DSLR for work, but I am trying to shrink everything down for my camping/cycling/hiking trips.

The pics below are the first time I have had a chance to get out and put it through its paces. My first impression is Wow! this thing is small. I can easily fit the body with lens attached and two or three extra lenses in the main compartment of my Maxped Proteus butt pack.

Operation is fairly straight forward. I was blazing through the controls after 30 minutes of shooting with it, without opening the manual. I am a tech geek and photographer by trade, so there may be a longer learning curve for those used to only point and shoots.

One of my favorite little bells and whistles is the live histogram on the screen. This lets you know for sure whether you have any washed out highlights or if you lost any details in the shadows.

My only complaint so far is that it doesn't have an optical view finder, but one can be purchased as an accessory. The screen worked fine in the light I have shot in so far, with minimal problems. 12 o'clock sun my be a different story.

However, since this is a mirror-less design, the screen shows exactly what the sensor is picking up giving you a "what you see is what you get" operation. The viewfinder accessory will do the same since it is just a screen inside an eye piece.

This album begins in my neighborhood and travels through the local gardens/farms on the outskirts and into the forest around Feuerbach (my hood), which translates to fire brook. The brook has been buried underground in the city now, but it is still flowing freely in the woods.

The purpose of this shoot was to capture images of color and textures to see how the new camera handles them. I used the kit lens that came with it. It is a 14-42mm which translates to 24-84mm in 35mm standards.

Enough talk.

This one I used an in camera art filter. I am not big on this type of thing but wanted to see how it'd turn out. This one is called dramatic tone.

I've always wondered where the Fire Brook disappeared under the city, so I followed it back and found where it goes subterranean. Goodbye old friend.

Final thought:

I love this thing. It is many times lighter and smaller than my old kit, but the sharpness, color, contrast etc, are not sacrificed. It performs with the big dogs except the top of the line DSLRs.

I love the added live histogram and the what you see is what you get view on the screen.

I plan to buy a viewfinder for shooting on very bright days. I also plan to buy a Penpal, which is a small bluetooth accessory that lets you automatically send the images from your camera to your smartphone, and with the right app it will automatically upload to your online album of choice. A big plus for me since I plan to update my blog/facebook while on long excursions. PLus that will be a big part of my next duty as the marketing and public affairs chief for the Midwest recruiting district.

If you are looking to upgrade from a point and shoot are want something lighter/smaller than your DSLR for "fun" shooting, you should seriously look into micro four thirds.

JJ, you're going to be the CHIEF for the whole Marine Midwest District! Wow, NICE promotion, but it probably won't be an easy job. Best of luck to you, and in this I am NOT joking. Oh I feel most comfortable in a 2X Tshirt! Oorah!

It is the largest recruiting district in the Marine Corps. It would be intimidating to a lesser man or say an airman.

I will get you a shirt from one of my recruiters. Pink?

With purty purple letters please! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Again, congrats! Oh and don't forget if you need any kind of help Hill AFB is right there! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

What do you think of the performance of the camera? I am pretty impressed with it. I would argue that it is on par with the Nikon D90 I sold to get it. I paid about $1,150 for the D90 with a kit lens. This is less than half that. There are a few things like programmable buttons that the Oly doesn't have, but for basic functions, it's got it all plus some the D90 didn't. Did I mention live histogram!!!

The pics are nice! I was going to say that, but got sidetracked. I would never have known that it wasn't a full blown DSLR. Oh by the way, any word on the lens you're getting built?