EP-1 Review!

[fionndruinne]

What are people's thoughts on the end review of this new camera? It's definitely an experiment; I wonder just what sparked Olympus to go for retro styling on the body? Aside from the fact that it's still too expensive for the likes of me, is anyone going to be picking one up for a pocket-sized go-everywhere cam? With the 17mm pancake lens, it's pretty diminutive.

[Rooz]

apart from price it looks great and imo the styling is awesome ! i'm looking forward to Panasonic's version which looks even better. a bit concerned about the slow AF speed.

[tim11]

Too restricted at 17 mm. And if other zoom lenses are fitted, the bulk isn't much different to 'normal' cameras. It turned me off when I see the comment "the autofocus is painfully slow...". Painfully slow........

[fionndruinne]

Well, it's 35mm, not 17mm...

Yeah, the autofocus speed, or lack thereof, is definitely the biggest negative factor. The quality of the images in the review was very high, though, much better than what I had expected. This is definitely the cleanest camera to use the 4/3rds sensor yet. Noise is super-low and details are very sharp. This camera is pretty impressive in that area.

[toriaj]

Ok, here's a dumb question:

Is the micro 4/3rds category of cameras generally considered to be on par with DSLRs? I get that idea, but just not sure. (Of course, I realize that DSLRs vary greatly, but I mean in general, would you compare a 4/3rds to a DSLR, a superzoom/"bridge," or a P&S?)

[fionndruinne]

Well, depends on what category you want to compare. If it's image quality, then micro-4/3 cams are closer to DSLRs. I'd consider the DP-1 IQ to be better than any of Olympus' DSLRs based on what I've seen. If you're comparing based on battery life, functionality and adaptability, they're more in line with compacts than DSLRs. I mean, the DP-1 has two lenses, a flash, an optical viewfinder (but only for the pancake lens), and that's about it. Micro-4/3 cams don't have the versatility of a huge lineup of lenses like DSLRs do.

[toriaj]

Yeah, I was talking about IQ and creative control. Answers my question, thanks.

[Rhys]

It looks mildly interesting but I don't see it as any advantage over the ordinary Olympus SLRs. Now if it had taken the Leica S&M lenses and been a clone of the Leica S&M cameras then it could have been very interesting. I have a very soft spot for the Leica S series and own a Fed 2 and Fed 5 both of which I like a lot. Epson had it right with the R-D1 but it didn't take off.

The maximum 300 photos per charge could be a major issue when you consider the play factor normally cuts this down by 2/3rds.

I keep thinking, with these ultra-small cameras, of the kind of travel photos that many of the famous travel photographers used to take.

[jekostas]

It looks mildly interesting but I don't see it as any advantage over the ordinary Olympus SLRs. Now if it had taken the Leica S&M lenses and been a clone of the Leica S&M cameras then it could have been very interesting. I have a very soft spot for the Leica S series and own a Fed 2 and Fed 5 both of which I like a lot. Epson had it right with the R-D1 but it didn't take off.

The maximum 300 photos per charge could be a major issue when you consider the play factor normally cuts this down by 2/3rds.

I keep thinking, with these ultra-small cameras, of the kind of travel photos that many of the famous travel photographers used to take.

Right, you do realize that M4/3 cameras can take Leica R- and M- series glass with adapters? In fact, Panasonic has official adapters for either mount, both of which work on the EP-1. So... yeah. Don't know what else you're looking for there.

As to AF speed, I'm sure Olympus will work on that, probably be at least partially fixed in a firmware update (they tend to do that a lot, did it recently with the E-3 and the newer F2.0 zooms, and the E-510 and IS support for legacy glass).

[Rooz]

I don't see it as any advantage over the ordinary Olympus SLRs.

size, which of course is exactly what the whole point of it is. thats the beauty of M4/3. SMALL size, BIG performance. its actually exactly what 4/3 should have been to begin with.

[raven15]

I tried one in a mall for a few minutes, pointing at nearer and farther objects in a mildly dim environment, and focusing wasn't that bad. Not as fast as SLR, but similar or faster focusing speed than my Canon A610, which has been used successfully by many people. The nice thing about focusing is it should be dead accurate once it is locked. No possibility of front or back focus, when the appropriate area of the image is in pixel-sharp focus on the sensor itself the camera registers correct focus.

As always with Olympus cameras, the benefit is in the lenses. Want a small lens? You can get pancake lenses or the small zoom. Want an uber lens? The E-P1 autofocuses all Olympus and Panasonic lenses for regular 4/3, so you could use the f/2 50mm macro, f/2 35-100mm , or f/2.8 90-250mm. Want a manual focus Leica, Pentax, Nikon (etc.) lens? You can mount it and it will be stabilized, and the manual focusing method is supposedly just as fast as autofocus as of now (you may prefer a lens with an aperture ring). Want a lens with fast silent focusing and optical image stabilization for video? Slap on the new Panasonic 14-140mm and you got it. Plus, with future lens releases from Panasonic, Olympus and Leica, it can only get better.

The other strength, of course, is the ability to switch between Olympus and Panasonic bodies depending on which ever is better for you at the time.

I have no plans to get one in the near future, I like my optical viewfinders and the LCD seemed not good enough. Maybe when I have more money and they have more pancake lenses, in a several years.