time for a new camera

That's nice, James!

Piling on–how about a 5.5 oz 9-18? Two years ago this lens couldn't have existed.

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/olympus_m_9-18_4-5p6_o20/

By contrast, my 4/3 7-14/4.0 is a whopping 28 ounces, or the same as FIVE copies of this lens.

Cheers,

Rick

Martin,

While it isn't the GF1, the newest Olympus EPL-1 does come in at $599, which is somewhat closer to the LX-3. It isn't as sturdy as the other Olympus cameras or the GF1. It can accept legacy lenses if you have some of those hanging around.

James, that pancake lens is lovely, and only 3.5oz too!
The issue I have with LCD screens is having to put glasses on every time I want to shoot, which is often. The diopter adjustment on the EVF means I don't need to, which is worth a lot to me on the trail. My long distance vision is fine.

Very few compacts have diopter adjustment, so I guess I'll be saving up for one of the 4/3 cameras. I'll let the market develop a bit first though. Hopefully Panasonic will put a higher res EVF in their next model.

Thinking logically, I can live with around 200mm telephoto on a 12megapixel camera as easily as having the 12x zoom on my 5mp S2IS so hopefully the Fuji F200EXR I've ordered will plug the gap in the meantime, and rely on autofocus to save donning the glasses every 5 minutes.

FWIW Costco has the E-P1 + 14-42 kit lens for $600. Problem is the E-P1 doesn't have the accessory port that accommodates the EVF or stereo mic. But for anybody who can live with just an LCD display it's a really tempting path into the system.

Cheers,

Rick

I came close to pulling the trigger on a little used Oly E420 DSLR with the same lens for £190 today, but disciplined myself to sell the Canon rebel and lenses first. The same seller had a pancake lens for £130.