e-p1 impressions (and what we ended up with)

[morgan]

So we went camera shopping today. I've been promising my wife a camera and then we decided to go to Tokyo, so it's all come to a head. I thought the E-P1 would be perfect for her, small and light, good image quality. Well today we got to try it out. I'm of two minds on it. It's small, seems well built. But I had a hard time getting over the lack of viewfinder for what the camera is and costs. I know everyone's going to scream get over it, but I don't know. There's a mental disconnect for me on it. I'm fine with no vf on point and shoots, but on this I kept wanting to raise it to my eye. It's a little odd to be zooming with a ring, but holding it out from your face. I found the manual focusing to be a little difficult, but something that you could probably get used to. If you were zoomed in pretty far, slight hand movements make it very difficult to focus as the image jumps around, and a little annoying. I found the autofocus speed to be adequate to not so great. Indoors it was definitely hunting. That said, it seemed to take great shots, I love the size and looks, it felt nice in the hand. If it had an evf or ovf, it'd be a done deal for me.

My wife though didn't really take to it. She said it felt too small, kind of toy-like, and that the autofocus was too slow (I disagree). We tried a Rebel t1 and she instantly liked that better. You could really feel how much faster the AF is. She said it felt more solid, more sturdy, and preferred the black box look. She liked the VF. I also have a bunch of canon lenses, so that's a factor as well. So we left with the Rebel, but I'm anxiously awaiting a m43 with a similar form factor, but with some type of viewfinder.

 

[principe azul]

A dealer told me Panasonic will bring out a new m43 camera in four months or so - no details, not supposed to talk about it. Trouble is I want something now.

AF was taking a couple of seconds in the well-lit camera store this afternoon, even focusing out through the window (sunny today). Not sure what's going on - AF settings, or is it just like that?

Put it side by side with my Nikon F3 - wasn't the size difference I was expecting. Someone pointed out in another thread that the top of the E-P1's designed to make the camera look thinner than it actually is. So maybe your wife was taken in? 🙂

 

[morgan]

Yeah, there's been a bunch of rumors around the next gen m43s.

The AF thing is strange, I looked for settings to change, but couldn't find them (if there are any). It was not speedy by any stretch. I will say there was no discernible shutter lag once AF was acquired.

The body felt small to me, even if it's not actually that small. It was easy to hold and I bet with the 17mm is truly tiny (they didn't have the 17mm in stock). The zoom unlocked really changes the game a bit, as it makes the whole thing bigger, although still noticebly smaller than say my R-D1 and 35mm ultron.

I wanted to like the E-P1 so much. I love the design and the idea behind it, but it just didn't do it for me from a functional standpoint. I do think the IQ is great and I hope that the next gen body suits me a little better.

 

[George S.]

morgan, I feel the same way as you do. I'm a looongtime Olympus devotee and I really want the EP-1 to fit my needs, but the lack of a VF and the slow AF kills it for me.

Also, I guess your wife wasn't pulled in by the white version, Olympus supposedly thinks females will buy the white one!

 

[emraphoto]

will someone PLEASE give us an idea how the camera works as a scale/ zone focuser? is it a quick responder?

i can't for the life of me get any user feedback as to how it functions set up with the 17mm, viewfinder and zone focused? i really am interested in the little beast but can't stomach another compact that takes a small vacation between depressing the shutter and the actual firing.

 

[Steveh]

That tallies with my impressions Morgan - I played with one in Jessops in London last week and I was pretty underwhelmed by the handling experience as well - I thought the lock/unlock slide on the zoom was fiddly, and the focus is definitely slower than the Panasonic G1, which I do own and really like. The review in Amateur Photographer here in the UK said that the EP-1 seems to hunt, overshoot, go back a bit, and then hit the spot, which was my subjective impression as well. As an actual camera to use I much prefer the focus speed, viewfinder, better screen etc. of the G1, and the EP-1 to me is neither fish nor fowl - too big for a pocket point and shoot, but too compromised as a "proper" camera.

Where I think this market will get interesting is when Pany produce their EP-1 equivalent (plus I hope the 20mm f1.7 we're all slavering for) and Oly their G1/GH1 equivalent. The beauty of competition!

 

[emraphoto]

thank you very much fred. i am not sure the credit card will be as thankful though?

i am about to dump all (i mean ALL) the gear and go down to two bodies and two focal lengths for an extended period and it looks as though the ep-1 might do the trick.

i always found it a tad odd that no reviews of the the dp1, e-p1, g10 etc etc. ever hit on this? i see "rangefinder" like mentioned a zillion times but the zone/manual focus thing gets missed every time. i suppose the average market target isn't much of a zone focuser?

how about the dynamic range? anyone had a go at high contrast raw images yet?

thanx again fred!

 

[Trius]

As to AF speed, do we know if the demo units at the dealers are production units and, if so, have the correct firmware for both body and lens? Remember that a lot of maufacturers have had focus speed issues when introducing a new platform.

Having seen John work, I know he could work magic as long as there is no shutter lag. In past Olympus compact models, you can set up a custom config ("My Mode") which can include focus distance. With manual lenses duch as LTM or M, of course distance setting would not be required.

Having a bigger sensor than something like the G-10 could be a benefit for reportage/documentary field work where speed and discreetness are important.

 

[.ken]

Here's some images with Nokton 1.1
http://www.flickr.com/photos/minami/sets/72157620940852056/

Also with the 15mm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/minami/sets/72157620851214913/

 

[.ken]

I stick with 3:2 as well. Yeah I'm surprised Olympus has as many mechanical switches on the E-P1 as it does (scroll wheel etc...). Definitely sticking with one and going out to shoot is the goal, not switching back and forth. And In my understanding in RAW the full 4:3 is saved since they call it "masking"... I have not tested it yet, so I'm not sure. Staying away from RAW Until adobe supports

 

[morgan]

The e-p1 that I messed with was fresh out of the box, but I'm not sure about firmware version. I tried to find how to set the focus point but couldn't. I usually use only a center point on my cameras. I'm not sure if setting only a center point would increase AF speed. I found the quantity of buttons and dials and stuff a little messy, but I'm sure that's learnable. I didn't love the menu system.

The kit zoom did feel a little flimsy. Not cheap exactly, but not what I'm used to. Kinda reminded me of my canon 35/2.0. Ok, but a little budget. Optically though, it seemed to deliver, I'm just blabbering about the build quality.

My wife saw the white version online and liked it, but she was underwhelmed by the actual camera. Olympus marketing almost had her.

 

[.ken]

they had me at hello. 🙂

 

[peterm1]

I am with you. If it does not have a viewfinder its a toy as far as I am concerned. The only way to take a picture is to hold the blasted thing to your face. May look and sound archaic but that way you are more sure of getting a steady shot - unless you want to carry a tripod with you :^). So I cannot get excited about cameras that do not have a finder. For me they just signify - consumer "tat". No matter how well made they may be.

If you want to get your wife a good camera get her a Canon G10. It has a finder, looks and feels like a pro camera (rangefinder style) and the tests show that the thing makes images that are within a hairs' breadth of the E-1 - sensor size notwithstanding.

 

[emraphoto]

the g10, as a working pro, was the biggest disappointment i have encountered so far. i don't mean that to be argumentative peter. the bloody shutter lag and highlight clipping was maddening.

 

[emraphoto]

count me in with the zone focus and external finders bit!

i am pondering the 12mm vc and was curious if anyone had experience with the combo? would love to see one mounted!

john

 

[emraphoto]

i am thinking a set-up along these lines.

two bodies, the 17mm + finder, the vc 12mm and and vc 25mm finder.

might toss a fast 50 in the bag.

 

[emraphoto]

"I just feel like a goose, standing there with my arms extended. Sort of like a heathen worshipping a votive object rather than a "real" photographer"

ok, ok. what exactly is a "real" photographer?

i mean these look pretty "real" to me.

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-6468-7844-7845

 

[Trius]

This is the best discussion on this camera that have read so far. Well done, folks.

Ken: I enjoyed your review; very practical, not too geeky.

 

[mfunnell]

i am thinking a set-up along these lines.

two bodies, the 17mm + finder, the vc 12mm and and vc 25mm finder.

might toss a fast 50 in the bag.

It sounds like a great project. The only other thing I'd be sure to take, because I worry about things, would be something purely mechanical for just in case. An original Pen would be appropriate, for obvious reasons, but might not be practical (I don't know enough about them).

...Mike

 

[Trius]

I'm obviously not a real photographer, since both the "real" photographers I was with yesterday had beards, and I am clean shaven. I used to have a beard, and that was when I was a "real" photographer. Maybe that's what went wrong.