Advent of the Micro Four Thirds format from Olympus and Panasonic

A lot of travelers want to take DSLR-quality photos on their vacations, but don’t want to lug around a full rig, especially when overhead luggage space is at a premium.  Last summer, we saw the advent of the Micro Four Thirds format from Olympus and Panasonic, which placed a large sensor into a camera body that was halfway between DSLRs and point-and-shoots. This summer, Sony has done them one better, packing an even larger sensor into an even smaller body.

The result? The NEX-3, which weighs less than 10 ounces, but takes tremendous photos. While we’re grateful it came with a flash, we barely needed it, as photos taken with the ISO set to 1600 weren’t grainy at all. Other neat features include an excellent panorama mode, HDR (High Dynamic Range), and Intelligent Auto mode. Oh yes, and it shoots high-def video, too.
We weren’t enamored with its convoluted menu structure or paltry endurance, but we wouldn’t hesitate to take it on a trip–so long as we had a spare battery. Check out more detailed impressions, plus photos taken from the camera itself