Micro Four Thirds Forum?

[Nyreth]

I don't mind admiting that I am still really, really new to cameras and photography in general. But I wanted offer another slightly different view since I feel like I fit perfectly into one of the biggest target demographics for these camers: beginners who want more than P&S is capable of but something that is less intimidating & more beginner friendly than a traditional dSLR and also less bulky.

Is MILC (Micro Interchangeable Lens Camera) too much of a mouthful? Or maybe even "mirrorless" instead of "micro". Personally, I say "micro" because I agree with the posts about the existing credit from the micro 4/3's system and not as technical sounding as far as jargon goes. Also newbies might not know (or care) about the lack of a mirror. For some of us, all we know is that the cameras are tiny, we can change the lenses on them and picture quality looks great!

I don't mind the EVIL acronym so much but when I goggled it the manufacturer names that jumped out at me were Canon, Nikon, Sony and a few pages with Samsung. That might not be so great for newer folks who are searching for what is familiar and currently available (namely Panasonic and Olympus). Also the EVIL acronym was news to me a few months ago, but I heard about micro 4/3's back during E-P1's release last summer. Another newbie thought is that the EVIL acronym is somewhat confusing. To most of us, that big LCD screen on the back is a, if not THE, viewfinder. Add in the fact that a lot of the current dSLR's have Live View it's even more confusing; technically (in a newbie's mind) don't they have an EVF now too? Furthermore, some of the serious newbies don't know the basic stuff like how a viewfinder on a dSLR works, in fact we may not have ever stopped to consider it. So the EV distinction and that part of the acronym is kind of lost on some of us.

I guess where I am going with all this is that maybe some sort of a combination of EVIL, MILC and/or Micro 4/3's would be the best compromise until the industry decides on a standard name for the category? Prosumers, serious amateurs and pro's will understand all of those terms, while Micro ILC is something that sounds a bit more obvious to a newbie and Micro 4/3's is already established.

[Liz]

I don't mind admiting that I am still really, really new to cameras and photography in general. But I wanted offer another slightly different view since I feel like I fit perfectly into one of the biggest target demographics for these camers: beginners who want more than P&S is capable of but something that is less intimidating & more beginner friendly than a traditional dSLR and also less bulky.

Is MILC (Micro Interchangeable Lens Camera) too much of a mouthful? Or maybe even "mirrorless" instead of "micro". Personally, I say "micro" because I agree with the posts about the existing credit from the micro 4/3's system and not as technical sounding as far as jargon goes. Also newbies might not know (or care) about the lack of a mirror. For some of us, all we know is that the cameras are tiny, we can change the lenses on them and picture quality looks great!

I don't mind the EVIL acronym so much but when I goggled it the manufacturer names that jumped out at me were Canon, Nikon, Sony and a few pages with Samsung. That might not be so great for newer folks who are searching for what is familiar and currently available (namely Panasonic and Olympus). Also the EVIL acronym was news to me a few months ago, but I heard about micro 4/3's back during E-P1's release last summer. Another newbie thought is that the EVIL acronym is somewhat confusing. To most of us, that big LCD screen on the back is a, if not THE, viewfinder. Add in the fact that a lot of the current dSLR's have Live View it's even more confusing; technically (in a newbie's mind) don't they have an EVF now too? Furthermore, some of the serious newbies don't know the basic stuff like how a viewfinder on a dSLR works, in fact we may not have ever stopped to consider it. So the EV distinction and that part of the acronym is kind of lost on some of us.

I guess where I am going with all this is that maybe some sort of a combination of EVIL, MILC and/or Micro 4/3's would be the best compromise until the industry decides on a standard name for the category? Prosumers, serious amateurs and pro's will understand all of those terms, while Micro ILC is something that sounds a bit more obvious to a newbie and Micro 4/3's is already established.

Excellent points! Thanks for sharing where you are coming from as it makes a lot of sense. I have to admit I did not know until recently what EVIL stood for until recently when I stopped to figure it out. I would not have put it together with M4/3 cameras if I hadn't seen it here.

Liz

[Gcuk2010]

Hi all,
Thought I'd Ask your expert advise. I cam currently get a Olympus d420 for £200 with a 14-42 lens. Seems like a good deal to me. I am an amateur who enjoys photography and thinking of joining a course to learn a bit more. I am competent with the compact and am thinking of taking the leap to a cheap slr. My only concern with the 420 is based on the 4/3 system and the availability of lenses. Will they cost me a lot more cash than a normal dslr? Will they stop producing them? Do i need a lens for an Olympus only? I am on a tight budget and not bothered about lenses at the moment but might be in a years time.
Thanks everyone. Greg

[Greg McCary]

Hi all,
Thought I'd Ask your expert advise. I cam currently get a Olympus d420 for £200 with a 14-42 lens. Seems like a good deal to me. I am an amateur who enjoys photography and thinking of joining a course to learn a bit more. I am competent with the compact and am thinking of taking the leap to a cheap slr. My only concern with the 420 is based on the 4/3 system and the availability of lenses. Will they cost me a lot more cash than a normal dslr? Will they stop producing them? Do i need a lens for an Olympus only? I am on a tight budget and not bothered about lenses at the moment but might be in a years time.
Thanks everyone. Greg

I think if you compare lens prices across the board Olympus holds their own. Most all Zuiko lenses produce very good results. You might consider a camera with image stabilization like a 510 or 520. It makes a difference. As far as the future of the 4/3rd mount only time will tell. But there will always be lenses available on the used market.