I ought to post this in the general forum, but I find the folks here are generally pretty knowledgeable.
I am looking to help my wife buy a mirrorless camera for my brother-in-law (well something better than a P&S - which to me implies mirrorless). I am looking for suggestions on what's good out there at a reasonable price (budget is not unlimited). Price of no more than say $600, although if there's a compelling choice, she would probably spring for it.
Sony NEX-3 series (C3/F3, I don't know the latest model name )
Panasonic GF-5. With the collapsible zoom lens, it should be smallest mirrorless option (with zoom lens)
Olympus EPM-2 looks nice but I don't quite like the lens (too much purple fringing and is very difficult to fix)
I don't know how close you are to your brother in law, or the details of how he wants to use the camera, but lens compatibility might be a compelling reason to select the Nikon 1. If he plans to be an enthusiast with the camera, the F-mount adapter would allow you guys to go out and shoot with normal F-mount lenses, which is especially great if you or he like to shoot wildlife, since your 70-200mm becomes a ~190-540mm.
Just a thought. If he just wants a system to use casually and you don't plan on shooting with him or letting him borrow your gear, it may not be a consideration. I just know that when my dad comes to visit, it's fun for us to swap gear around - he has a Nikon 1 as well as a D80.
I'd look into the Sony Nex series, since adapters are available to make it take lenses of just about any type should there ever be the urge to build a "system" - a quite unusual concept for people who buy small cameras (that market is dying anyway, with phones taking over the low end of the point and shoot market)
Check in the Alternative Gear forum - plenty of mirrorless use going on there. Just based on my visits to that forum, I'd guess that the Nex bodies are the favorites of those who actually do like to swap lenses on higher quality compacts.
I like the Nikon 1 series and have the V2. Get the FT-1 converter and you can mount your other Nikkor Glass on it too!! The AF is snappy and IQ is good.
Why necessarily go the interchangeable lens route? A Sony RX-100 meets your budget, has a large sensor compared to a P&S (the same size as the Nikon 1 series), and offers very serious IQ. That it is light, compact and easy to use are all bonuses, but not at the expense of quality. Some very serious shooters on this board use it and post great pics.
While at this time, the Sony seems to be the category leader, there is a Canon aternative (G1X), with an even larger sensor, but bulkier and pricier.
That interchangeable lenses are intrinsically superior has been a mistaken assumption. If you want to change lenses, then it is the way to go, but otherwise, you are paying for something you are not using, and a lens designed for just one cam can be optimized in a way an interchangable lens can't.
Hope this helps.
the Fuji X20 is also an interesting alternative to a p&s ..... I looked at one, and for the price, the camera performs really well. However, it does have a strange optical viewfinder, which turned me off of the camera. Otherwise, I would probably have bought one.
A vote for the K-01 but if I was going to spend $600 it would be on a Sony NEX body. I have had the 5N and C3 and liked the files from both cameras. However, I am QUITE partial to the K-01!
