Want better images every time you snap something but hate lugging a DSLR where ever you go ? Then a mirror less camera would be just the thing for you. Unlike DSLR's which uses a set of mirrors and prism to project the image to the viewfinder, mirror less cameras usually use an electronic view finder (EVF), making it very compact. So what you get is a compact camera which can match the image quality of a DSLR with some goodness of a DSLR as well. Like a DSLR you'll be able to change the lens based on what you are intending to photograph, control everything from exposure to white balance and mount lot of accessories like flash, microphones etc.
Samsung NX, Sony NEX, Panasonic G series, Olympus Pen and recently launched
Nikon 1 are some mirror less camera series. Out of these, Olympus and Panasonic uses the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensors which are a bit smaller than the APS-C sensors used by Samsung and Sony but larger than the Nikon CX sensor. But in real life usage this things doesn't matter much unless you are a pro, so you can't go wrong with any one of these. You can read more about this
here.
Now what if you get one of these for less than
Rs.18,000 ? E-PL1, the 12 Mega pixel MFT compact from Olympus is the real deal. It boasts built in lens shift image stabilization ( less blurs), a dust reduction system to protect your camera sensor from dust accumulation, has 11 Auto Focus points (so you can focus where ever you want in an image, a great feature if you ask me) and supports ISO 200-3200 (good low light performance). It has a retractable flash (unlike some other models which needs an accessory for flash) which pops up when ever the lighting is in adequate. The turn off for me is the lack of Full HD recording, but it is something you won't use often (video using a still camera leaves a lot to be desired). The package includes a 4 GB SD Card and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 L Kit lens (not bad either).
If you are still interested head over to
ebay.in and buy it before it gets sold out. (If you are looking for a DSLR, Canon 1000D is less than INR 20k and Nikon D3100 is available for less than INR 26k).