Let me start off first with saying that I love my Olympus OM-D E-M5. My wife wasn't sold on full frame cameras such as the Canon 5D Mark III or Nikon due to the sheer size and weight so we ventured in the next best thing; Micro Four Thirds. The Sony NEX-7 was heavily delayed and hadn't arrived yet but it's little brother, the NEX-5N was just released. As enticing as it was, I just didn't "love" either camera nor did I care for the operating system. With a modest budget and a baby looming, I needed a camera and lens that I could quickly acquire and learn. One major hurdle was that the camera needed to have an autofocus hence eliminating the coveted Leica M9, and the available glass ecosystem had to be great. At the time, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 was proved to be the answer. I paired it with the Panasonic/Leica 25 1.4 Summilux and haven't taken it off since. Here are a few pictures that my wife and I took at the San Diego Safari Zoo the day of our daughter's first birthday.
Since then, Olympus has released two amazing micro four-thirds cameras. The E-P5 and the E-PL5 with the former being the Pen series flagship. Highly capable and pocketable depending on which lens you attach, they both make for a very portable and pleasurable experience. They have also become my recommendations to my peers that are looking to get into photography. It's a perfect starting point especially for those that want something smaller and don't want to lug around the bulk of the full frame cameras and lens combo.
Steve Huff posted an amazing and thorough review of the OM-D E-M5 which I highly recommend you check out. He also recently reviewed the amazing Panasonic 20 1.7 II lens while equipped on the E-P5 (pictured above). I guarantee, if you're getting into photography, his website is amazing start! I can't begin to tell you how much I've learned from him. Of course, I couldn't have even thought of Steve Huff as a reference without the guidance of Mr. Range Traveler himself, Gage Caudell.
