Which is better. Olympus E-PM1 (14-42mm lens) OR Nikon d3000 (18-55mm lens)?

I'm very interested in beginning photography as a hobby. I've had multiple "point and shoot" cameras in the past that I played around on and used for trips and events. But now I want to get into professional photography (or as professional as I can get)… But I wanted to know which one would better suit me. I like the Olympus because its small and easy to take anywhere but still takes good pictures. But I want to get out of the point and shoot rhelm and take pictures "right".So that is why I was considering the Nikon. They are both about the same price (the Nikon is a little bit more). I would GREATLY appriciate it if someone with experience could help me out in choosing the best camera for me.

The smaller the sensor, the less quality you can expect from them

Of the two, Nikon has a fuller system. Two professional level cameras models and two entry level models with four cameras inbetween and over 75 current lenses

http://www.nikonusa.com/...index.page

The Nikon D3000 is a much older camera than what is being sold now, the D3100 and D3200, but it will take you a few years before you can learn to be able to shoot well exposed and composed images each time you press the shutter release, so for now, just start building your camera system

This is an easy choice because the Nikon's a DSLR and streets ahead of anything else.

The choice between the D3000 and an Olympus Evolt would be a fair one, and more difficult.

In terms of image quality they are neck to neck. But Olympus is smaller and portable, hence you'll be using it more often and chances are that you'll learn quicker.
Nikon d3000 on the other hand has a good optical viewfinder and is robust and better build.
Only you can decide which one suits you the best. If I was a girl, I would buy the Olympus.

And btw, those who think Olympus PEN's image quality is not comparable to a dSLR, have actually never tried a PEN. Primarily I'm a dSLR shooter but I used to own a PEN E-PL1 and shot these pictures here, and I think you'll agree they are as good as dSLR images.

And I think E-PM1 is a much newer camera, and you can get better results than I did.