How do you choose a digital camera?

[Jan Steinman]

Pentax… looked like my old SLRs made in the '50s…

I learned what I really liked: Fast and accurate AF, lots of nice lenses to choose from, preferably not too expensive.
The number of pixels was not important for me, but around 20MP suited me well (I have one 10.4MP mirrorless, and the rest of the DSLRs and mirrorless cameras are still around 20-25MP!). With time I seem to prefer faster and faster lenses, like the lovely 135 Art, or the viceless 30 Art.

I like small (and light) cameras for macro and extreme distances…

If I would buy a new camera system today it would be a camera with IBIS (if I had the funds), either a Canon R, a Nikon Z body, or a Fuji, but a mix of small sensor and big sensor bodies is a blessing! Just saying!

You sound like a good candidate for Olympus/OMDS!

It was the first camera that made me giggle as I initially used it, since the OM-4 in ~1984 or so.

Seriously, go to a dealer and play with the neo OM-1 for a while. I think you'll like it.

As for "looked like my old SLRs," they don't make them any more, but I managed to get a great price on a Pen F digital. Tiny! Leica-like design. Turns heads wherever I go. Takes the full range of HUNDREDS of Micro Four Thirds lenses.

 

[George Mann]

I have stuck with my Nikon D300s because models past the D4 era create wholly artificial looking images (except for the Fuji GFX). So realism is the primary thing I look for in digital cameras.