Top: Panasonic DMC-GF1C-K, a well-regarded rival to the E-P1 that sports a built-in flash

Middle: Olympus Pen E-P2, a more feature-rich version of the E-P1

Bottom: Samsung NX10 uses a sensor that's even larger than those found in other Micro Four Thirds cameras

Under the spotlight

Photography tech

Olympus PEN /
Micro Four Thirds

Want a compact camera that takes SLR-quality pictures? Read on…

>>> produces images that are leagues ahead of anything taken by an average compact camera.

The main reason for this: Micro Four Thirds cameras have sensors that are approximately eight times larger than the sensors found in compact shooters. (Sensor size is a more important determinant of image quality than megapixel spec.)

At the moment, the Micro Four Thirds market is a fledging area, which means the number of lenses available for these cameras is limited, although D-SLR lenses can be used manually with an adapter.

Even so, this category won't remain small for long. Panasonic already has several Micro Four Thirds cameras on the market — including the well-regarded DMC-GF1C-K (left) and Samsung and Sony plan to enter the sector, too. Most expect Canon and Nikon to join the party soon. Once that happens, it'll be interesting to see how this market develops 
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