I might’ve mentioned that my beloved Nikon D60 died recently (*cough!*). I don’t think I need to tell you it was a huge blow, not only as a blogger but also a person who doesn’t go anywhere without my camera.

Saying that, lugging around a cumbersome DSLR was becoming annoying so I saw the silver lining of the situation and started shopping for a more handbag-friendly replacement. CSCs (Compact System Cameras with interchangeable lenses) have long been tickling my fancy so it was just a case of narrowing down my options from the more affordable end of the market.

Pentax Q

Aesthetics-wise this has to be my favourite CSC; it’s teeny (just 57.5mm x 98mm) and I adore it’s retro look. However, while it’s important to me that my camera looks nice, my man sensibly talked me out of choosing one based purely on style over substance.

SAMSUNG NX100

Very well-reviewed and very reasonably-priced (just £200 at Amazon), I gave serious consideration to the Samsung NX100 and decided against it as, at 2-years-old, it’s a fairly old model.

Olympus PEN

With several models and price points, the PEN range also has great reviews. Essentially though, unless you’re willing to shell out for the most expensive option, the E-P3 (around £1000), they look slightly cheap in my opinion and as they’re not that made them a no!

SONY NEX 5N

Ultimately I decided this was the best value for money so I bought this camera today! The best price I found was at John Lewis/Jessops, where the body and twin lens kit is currently on offer at £480.

I’m so excited to play with my new toy (as I type, I’m patiently waiting for it to charge), I’ve really missed taking photos over the past week! I have various well looked-after, Nikon-compatible bits and pieces to sell so if anyone’s in the market for that do let me know ASAP before I list them on eBay!

p.s.

Fellow tech-lovers, don’t forget you can still win an iPad in the Passion for Fashion competition but you need to enter before 24th September!