Olympus PEN E-P2

The Olympus PEN E-P2 is a sophisticated Micro Four Thirds camera -- a pocket-sized shooter that allows you to change lenses like a digital SLR (single-lens reflex) camera -- but the newer Olympus PEN E-P3 improves upon it in several ways, experts say. The E-P3 delivers faster performance (including extremely fast autofocus), a higher-resolution 3-inch OLED screen and better controls. But the cameras' 12.3-megapixel image sensors now strike some experts as outdated -- they say you'll get clearer images at high ISOs in dim light with the newer sensors found on Panasonic's Micro Four Thirds cameras, including the top-rated Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 (*Est. $900 with kit lens) and Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 .

The E-P2 is sized to fit neatly in a jacket pocket. It can shoot 720p HD video. There's no built-in eye-level viewfinder, but the E-P2 includes a separate electronic viewfinder that you can slide onto the hot shoe, but that leaves no room for an external flash (remember, the E-P2 doesn't have a built-in flash). We priced the camera with a kit lens -- a 28 mm to 84 mm, 3x zoom version -- but you can also buy the body only.

PhotographyBlog.com and DPReview.com both thoroughly test the Olympus E-P2 and write lengthy, multi-part reviews with sample images. CNET and PC World write shorter reviews, but they are still thorough and give good buying advice. Amazon.com is a good place to check for owner reviews.