Olympus Pen PL2 or equivalent?

[Syringer]

I'm looking at a 4/3s camera which I've never owned before, and after a bit of research it seems like the Olympus PL2 can be had for about $250 on ebay/amazon which is seems to be the best value that I've found so far.

Only thing it seems to be lacking is that it can only take 3 fps which isn't a major concern but a bit lacking I guess.

Is there anything else in that range, or sub-$300 that I should look at as well?

 

[arrfep]

Depending on your usage, you might consider the Nikon 1 series. They have smaller sensors than the m 4/3s cameras, which puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to ultimate image quality. Many benchmarks put them close though, until you get to higher ISOs.

However, they are capable of doing 10 fps, and even 60fps for a short burst. The J1 and V1 prices were recently drastically reduced because 2nd generation cams were released, so you can get them for cheap. Check cameta.com for pretty cheap refurbs. They've got a bunch of m4/3s also.

 

[blastingcap]

E-PL2s can beat pretty much everything else at that price point except older DSLRs that are either used or ancient and can't even take video.

The real downside of the E-PL2, which I am also considering buying, is lack of good AF-C. You get like 1 shot with the AF and after that it can't keep up with fast-moving things. So don't try to capture, say, sports with this using autofocus. Manual focus (pre-focus) may work better. But that's true of almost all mirrorless cameras, except the ones with good PDAF like the Nikon 1 series. If you will be taking lots of fast action then the Nikon 1 is better, even though it doesn't have many lenses yet.