[matthew]

I have read a lot of comments (from within and outside of the 4/3 forums) from people who wish that it had an electronic viewfinder. There's already rumours of the next olympus camera having one. I don't know if it's wishful thinking, or if there's actually been a statement by the company, but it's clearly something that a lot of people want.

Even my D700's LCD isn't great in the sun, and I doubt that there's been any breakthroughs since then.

But I've been surprised by the number of people who expect to use Live View all the time on an SLR. Sony's the farthest ahead on this trend with their A3X0 series, which also has a dim and small viewfinder. Honestly, it's not much better than a high-end compact like the G10 or P6000. For the smaller P&S cameras, very few even have viewfinders any more, and some people are actually surprised to learn that the camera that they've had for years has one.

So Olympus seems to be aiming at two different markets with this one: the people who are looking for a first SLR, want the same features that their P&S had (movies, frame with the LCD), and will stick with their kit zoom for years. With the exception of lens selection, the E-P1 compares very well with the D5000 and T1i, but with the added benefit that it's smaller and looks less like A Big Camera. At the same time, it's appealing to people who already have a 'serious' camera, like and E-3 or D700, who just want something small that's better than the standard P&S. The DP1 & 2, Ricoh GR series, and LX3 have all tried to tap into this market from the small-sensor angle, and of the group the LX3 has been a very solid seller.

I wonder which lens kit will sell better, the standard zoom or the classic prime...