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Olympus OM-DE-M5 Olymups set new standards with its revived PEN range, and it's done precisly the same with the OM moniker. Choosing to bestow the legendary film SLR name upon its first system cam with an EVF was a brave move for Olympus - but an entirely justified one. The E-M5 has the looks of an old-school SLR, but you'll be surprised at how small it is - it should be the size of a house, considering how much photo-trickery is crammed into its weatherproof body. The new 16MP sensor is superb right through the ISO range (going up to a mighty 25,600), and shows how well Micro Four Thirds can compete with the larger DSLR-size APS-C chips. It's also ably assisted by a world first - five-axis image stbilisation. Forget the science; just know that it offers the best steadying action yet seen. The other bit star of the OM-D show is the autofocus, which is just ludicrously fast, and even works quickly and accurately when tracking moving subjects. If we had to level any criticism at the E-M5, it would be that we'd prefer a built-in flash - a clip-on unit is included, but it's all too easy to leave it at home. Maybe the grip could be a little larger. But that's nitpicking - this is a great camera. Blogging Hub Says Startingly fast and truly compact, this stunning camera is worth building a system around. Tech Specs Sensor 16.1MP MFT Screen 3in/7.6cm, 610k dots EVF 0.47in/1.1cm, 1440k dots Flash Clip-on included Burst shooting 9fps Video 1080p@30fps ISO 200-25,600 Kit lens 12-50mm f/3.5-5.6 (24-100mm equvalent) < Power zoom The kit lens has an optional motorised zoom - a slight left or right twist zooms it in or out, like on compact camera. It's also got a macro function for sharp close-up shots. Slots of sense > In true SLR style, the SD slot's on the side rather than on the bottom, so it doesn't get in the way of fitting a vertical grip. You can also change cards while tripod's attached.

Nikon 1V1 It was a shock when Nikon unveiled smaller-than-average sensors for its 1 Series snappers, but there was method to the madness. The 10.1MP sensor on the V1 may be half the size of a Micro Four Thirds sensor, but it can process shots from that smaller CMOS at phenomenal speeds, enabling burst shooting at up to 60fps. That's made effective by the clever Smart Phone Selector mode, which takes a hyper-fast burst of 20 shots every time you press the shutter, and then uses algorithms to choose which it thinks are the best five pics and stores them to your memory card. And with smile and blink detection it's surprisingly good at leaving you with a useable set of photos - even in big groups. Sady, image quality isn't that great, and light sesitivity is limited - not to mention pretty awful above ISO 800. Video is dull, and - unlike stills - maxes out at 30fps. Nikon has also made some strange decisions. While its cheaper J1 sipling has a built-in flash, the V1 leaves it out as an optional extra. And the simplified controls are more akin to a compact camera, with many settings buried within menus - anyone spending this much is likeyly to demand more creative control. Blogging Hub Says Truly advanced, but the streamlined design hinders - and the quality doesn't match the price Tech Specs Sensor 10.1MP CX Screen 3in/7.6cm, 921k dots EVF 0.47in/1.1cm, 1440k dots Flash No Burst shooting 60fps Video 1080p@30fps ISO 100-3200 Kit lens 10-30mm f/3.5-5.6 (27-81mm equvalent) < Retracting optics Like that kit lens on Olympus' PEN series, Nikon's kit lens is collapsible. When not in use, it retracts to become tiny and locks closed with this button. It's a great touch. Minimal modes > The two odd symbols on the mode dial are for Motion Snapshot (which takes a slow-motion video and sets it to music) and Smart Photo Selector. No fine-control priority modes here.

Fujifilm X-Pro1 Fujifilm's most ambitious camera ever has retro appeal in abundance, but it's one frustrating step from perfection. Whereas the gorgeous but non-lens-swapping Fujifilm X100 had the silvery look of a 1950s Leica, the lens-enabled X-Pro1 is a little more '70s in its workmanlike black. But it's still got the same clever hybrid viewfinder, allowing you to switch between optical and electronic views: in optical mode, frame lines overlay a broad window, showing how your lens will crop and making composition easier. Anyone who's used a traditional rangefinder will feel quite at home. The hybrid finder's clever, but the real smarts lie in the DSLR-sized sensor. It's utterly astouding and noise-free throughout its wide ISO range - boostable to 25,600 - and quality is almost impossible to fault. Video is fine but there's no dedicated record button: unsurprising, maybe, for such a stills-oriented smapper. Other old-school touches include a threaded cable-release socket (remember them?), faux-vulcanite covering, and a range of lenses that's limited to primes - no zooms here - with Leica-ish square lens hoods. But sadly, 'old-school' extends to the ponderous autofocus, which makes fast photo-taking a chore. At this price, we'd expect better. Blogging Hub Says Amazing in almost every way, but a slow autofocus holds it back from greatness Tech Specs Sensor 16.3MP APS-C Screen 3in/7.6cm, 1230k dots EVF Hybrid. Digital: 0.47in, 1440k dots Flash No Burst shooting 6fps Video 1080p@24fps ISO 200-6400 Kit lens 35mm f/1.4 (53mm equvalent) < Switched on As on the X100, this lever - styled like the self-timer control on a classic film camera - is used to switch between the optical and digital modes of the viewfinder. Old-school options > Another retro touch - aperture is manually set using a ring on the lens, while shutter speed settings are on a top-mounted dial. They can still be set to Auto, though.