I've had 3 Olympus Pens, Canon and Nikon P&S cameras to use when I didn't want to lug my DSLR's. I got a Fuji X100 and have been delighted. It is always with me. IQ is awesome!
when I entered the DSLR world a couple of years ago, I chose a camera with weight in mind, as long as it had a decent set of specs. I chose the Nikon D5000 and it's stood up to a year+ of unexpected newspaper work. The 'quiet' shutter setting is a bonus... I've been in performance audiences and had people tell me they didn't hear a thing @ ~4 feet away.
Its light, not quite as light as an non-mirrored setup, but you'll retain a good amount of control for a small amount of weight. A used D5000 with an 18-55 kit lens will cost you under $500US and is about as light as you can get in a true DSLR. And you'd be able to shoot video if the mood strikes you. The upside to the 18-55 kit lens for a setup like you're looking for is the downside to most... its plastic and a 52mm diameter lens. Sharp, too. My copy is fantastic at the wide end.
The 'vari-angle' viewscreen seems really gimmicky, until you want to compose in LiveView with the camera over your head standing on a rock to get line-of-sight over a tree branch. Then its not so gimmicky.
I'd love to sell you mine (hehe) but I probably have to use it tomorrow.
edit: If you take my suggestion seriously, I have two things to add. #1. Get the D5000 over the D5100. I haven't shot the D5100, but I held one in a store, and I much prefer the vari-angle setup on the D5000. I don't like the way the D5100 switched to a side-out swing. It just feels less forgiving in regards to breakage. #2. Look into the M-Rock line of camera bags. They are really sturdy and probably the best protection-bag available on the market... especially for a single-lens setup.
Suprised nobody mentioned a tripod. My point 'n shoot photos look sad until I lock it down to base iso and put it on a tripod, even a little gorillapod is great. Then it starts to punch above its weight class. If I wanted to go superlight right now I'd bring my S95, double zip-loc'd, with a gorillapod and maybe a cheap CPL to experiment with holding in front of the lens...
I would recommend the new Sigma dp2 merrill. Amazing image quality and detail. Lightweigt. But it eats batteries. You have recharge on the way. Best at ISO 100/200. You might need a little carbon or table tripod.
Canyonlands wrote:
What pulls off the clarity and dynamics needed to still wow our dinner guests as the images scroll across the 50" screen?
A high definition 50" screen doesn't have a lot of resolution. 1920 x 1280 pixels is relatively low resolution compared to any modern digital camera including most phones.
For HD screens you will need to raise the contrast and the sharpness to get the most out of your images.
I would recommend Olympus OM-D, then lenses depending on what you want to shoot. Maybe start with the Panasonic 12-35, this plus body would be right at your budget point.
I looked at a lot of small cameras including the latest NEX.
I could not hold any of them steady enough to get an unblurred shot.
The V1 feels more solid in my hand, the AutoFocus is much faster and more accurate.
The camera + 10-30 lens fits in my large pockets.
It shares the battery, memory cards, and with FT-1 adapter even the lens with my D7000, D600, and D800.
RRRoger wrote:
I looked at a lot of small cameras including the latest NEX.
I could not hold any of them steady enough to get an unblurred shot.
The V1 feels more solid in my hand, the AutoFocus is much faster and more accurate.
The camera + 10-30 lens fits in my large pockets.
It shares the battery, memory cards, and with FT-1 adapter even the lens with my D7000, D600, and D800.
Try the OM-D then. Outstanding image quality, great lens options and truly stellar 5-axis IBIS that is good for 3-4 stops with any lens.
