The canon seems more popular due to the lenses
I don't really get your point here? With the flange to sensor distance of the new mirrorless camera's they can take almost ANY lens with an appropriate (cheap) adapter and with focus peaking (certainly on the Sony NEX range) manual focussing isn't that much of a downside. This opens up access to a whole load of fairly inexpensive glass.
As has been pointed out elsewhere on here, with the Micro 4/3rds standard, if you don't like what Panasnoic are doing in a few years time you can take all your lenses over to Olympus or elsewhere. With Canon, if they stick yet another old AF system into their next range of bodies to keep people buying upwards, you just have to take it.
All in all they are two different systems, with pro's and con's of each. If portability is at all a concern then consider the Micro 4/3rds route seriously.
Its also worth noting that Sony currently pack the biggest sensor for the smallest body with the NEX-7 although there own brand lenses are supposedly a bit average.
