Micro Four Thirds versus NEX-7 and Pentax Q.

When testing “non m43 cameras” many reviewers like to compare it with the mother of all mirrorless systems, Micro Four Thirds :)

Let’s start with Pentaxforums (Click here) that posted an incredibly long and detailed Pentax Q review. They included many comparisons with the [shoplink 23567]Olympus E-PL3[/shoplink]: “The new sensor technology employed in the Q has raised the cap for the image quality possible from a small sensor, but size still matters, and the Q cannot produce the same resolution and low noise as the 8 times larger sensor of our four thirds camera, the Olympus E-PL3. We chose to compare the Q to a four thirds system camera since the price is about the same and this is the closest interchangeable lens competitor in sensor size.”

Steve Huff (Click here) wrote a full NEX-7 review and compared the camera with the [shoplink 23568]Olympus E-P3[/shoplink]: “The 7 has a larger APS-C sensor, the E-P3 has a smaller 4/3 sensor. In all fairness the E-P3 is more fun to shoot and provides results that you just can not complain about. It has a cool factor and some serious mojo even with its limitations and I own it and am keeping it. BUT the NEX-7 is more serious with more potential. NEX has to win this if we are taking body to body. Lenses, Oly wins but then again“.

While I am not a big fan of the [shoplink 26437]Pentax Q[/shoplink], I have to admit the [shoplink 25396]NEX-7[/shoplink] looks very promising. Anyway, the limit of the NEX system are the quality, range and size of the lenses and the future NEX lens roadmap isn’t really appealing me. I hope Olympus and Panasonic will soon understand the potential of a camera like the NEX-7! It was on the bestseller list of Amazon US (Click here) for weeks until preorders have been stopped because of the terrible flood in Thailand that stopped the NEX-7 production. The Pentax is quite popular in Japan but not so in the rest of the world.