epl1 as a street cam - yay or nay?

[Federico Alberto]

It is true that there's a quarter-second lag with the m4/3 shutter, and I hope this will be improved in future models. It's largely a limitation of the live-view design--it stays open, then has to close, open, and close again to take a photo.

Once AEL is split from AFL, there is no lag between shots. It's just like shooting in MF mode.

 

[Federico Alberto]

See P. 97 of the E-P1 manual to customize the AEL/AFL button:

http://www.olympusamerica.com/files/oima_cckb/E-P1_Instruction_Manual_EN.pdf

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Once AEL is split from AFL, there is no lag between shots. It's just like shooting in MF mode.

There's still shutter lag, though, even with, say, a legacy lens and manual exposure. It doesn't bother me for the kind of shooting I do, but it's there.

 

[kbg32]

I use both the G1 and GF1 for street shooting with the 7-14, 14-45, or the 17/2.8 lenses. They are great. I couldn't live with the sluggishly poor focusing capabilities of the EP1 and 2. The G1 and GF1 are fast, just like a Leica M.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

I use both the G1 and GF1 for street shooting with the 7-14, 14-45, or the 17/2.8 lenses. They are great. I couldn't live with the sluggishly poor focusing capabilities of the EP1 and 2. The G1 and GF1 are fast, just like a Leica M.

I just traded in my GF1 for an EP2 and cannot find any evidence of sluggish focusing, personally. Of course I'm using a Panasonic lens...

 

[Federico Alberto]

The Lumix G bodies have a faster AF performance than the Olympus Digital PENs. No doubt about it. But it's not the end of the world.

When using Lumix G glass, the AF performance difference decreases significantly. My two µ4/3 lenses are the 7-14mm Vario f/4 ASPH and the 20mm f/1.7 ASPH.

And when using MF glass, such as the Leica-R and OM lenses in my arsenal, then the whole issue of AF performance becomes irrelevant.

Isn't it funny to read about the AF performance of a Digital PEN being deemed as "sluggish" in comparison to a Leica M body?

I never knew there was such a thing as a Leica M camera with an AF mode...

 

[wray]

Yep, the shutter lag on the E-PL1 is really bad ...

 

[kbg32]

I have read in many places on the net that the performance of the EP1 and 2 increases when using Panasonic lenses. So, it might not be the performance of the bodies, but the lenses. I use the Olympus 17/2.8 on my GF1 and it performs quite well. Fast too.

Who knows? I am definitely a Lumix fan though.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Yep, the shutter lag on the E-PL1 is really bad ...

I'm not saying the shutter lag is really bad, I'm saying it exists. There's really no argument against that: it's real, and people should take it into consideration. I'll reiterate that it doesn't bother me, and in the few instances (usually moving subjects on the street) when it might matter, I compensate with my shooting technique. And it is much shorter than for most cameras; I've seen figures between a tenth and a quarter of a second.

Shutter lag would have little or no effect when photographing a bee hovering in front of a flower. A bee riding a bicycle down the street, maybe.

 

[NDAv]

Not really sure how LCD can be a detriment to street shooting. So the photographer no longer has reposition the camera to his/her eye to compose and instead he/she can just glance at the LCD and attract less attention. I might have had the wrong idea about street photography all along because I thought speed and discreetness were beneficial to street photography, not a detriment.

 

[Federico Alberto]

Not really sure how LCD can be a detriment to street shooting. So the photographer no longer has reposition the camera to his/her eye to compose and instead he/she can just glance at the LCD and attract less attention. I might have had the wrong idea about street photography all along because I thought speed and discreetness were beneficial to street photography, not a detriment.

Case closed!

 

[Federico Alberto]

I have read in many places on the net that the performance of the EP1 and 2 increases when using Panasonic lenses.

I tried a Lumix G Vario 14-140mm this past Saturday at NYC's Willoughby's with an E-P1 body.

The AF performance was faster than anything I had tried before with this camera. Simply amazing.

So yes, the Digital PENs AF performance may be slow but coupled with a fast lens the difference with the Lumix bodies can be minimized.

If the announced M.Zuiko 14-150mm does not have the same AF performance, I'm in for the Lumix.

In spite of its higher weight (due to OS) and price...

 

[emerica]

federico > fantastic pics with the ep1 and thanks for the AEL/AFL info.

edwin > thanks for the heads up about the switch from slr to rf. no, don't have a rf cam yet, but realized the kind of photography i truly enjoy might necessitate at least an rf film cam in addition to the mft cam.

everyone> since i am leaning to getting an mft cam any day now and interested in getting an rf film cam, any pointers on where to look would be awesome. would like to use rf glass on the mft cam.

thanks again, rff rocks.

 

[Federico Alberto]

federico > fantastic pics with the ep1 and thanks for the AEL/AFL info.

everyone> since i am leaning to getting an mft cam any day now and interested in getting an rf film cam, any pointers on where to look would be awesome. would like to use rf glass on the mft cam.

thanks again, rff rocks.

You're welcome!

Here's a link to the Panasonic µ4/3 compatibility list with Leica-M and -R glass, when used with the corresponding adaptors:

http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/connect/mrma.html

I chose the E-P1 over the Lumix G bodies precisely because using MF glass needed in-body image stabilization. Haven't regretted it since...

Below a few links to the shots in my flickr gallery taken with adapted MF glass:

Zuiko OM:
Zuiko OM 100mm f/2 ED
Zuiko OM 135mm f/2.8
Zuiko OM 200mm f/4

Leica R:
Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron-R
Leica 50mm f/2 Summicron-R
Leica 90mm f/2 Summicron-R
Leica 180mm f/4 Leitz Elmar-R

Nikon AIs:
Voigtlander Nokton 58mm f/1.4

Good luck!

 

[infosecgeek]

I think you will be hard pressed to use most any live-view-lcd cam to capture close moving objects with consistency.

I use the E-P2 with cv lenses for tons of street shooting...

 

[count_zero]

lol, is that guy wearing wrestling shoes? NYC fashionistas are funny.

 

[JoeV]

The problem I have with the term "shutter lag" is that it often isn't just about a delay caused by the shutter mechanism itself. The live-view image has to be read off the sensor, processed in-camera, then processed into a JPEG that can be viewed on the LCD/EVF. This takes milliseconds of time, such that the electronic view is time-delayed.

You can see the time delay first hand. Just position the camera in front of you, LCD turned on, such that you can see both the LCD and the subject. When motion happens, you can plainly see that the view in the LCD is delayed; this delay is measurable. It may not mean much for stationary subjects, but try shooting a child's birthday party, for instance, with kids running around, and you trying to capture their fleeting portraits on the fly. Quite a challenge, really.

There are also other delays in these cameras that are sometimes attributed to "shutter lag", like when shooting in full auto and the red eye reduction does its little routine. Or when autofocus can't lock onto a low-contrast subject, and just hunts and hunts. This last cause is less of a problem in u4/3, because the focusing is so good, but anyone coming from P&S cameras knows the routine well.

We can eliminate many of these causes of "shutter lag", except one, the delay in the EVF/LCD; this can only be compensated for by an optical viewfinder.

~Joe

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Fair enough. To put it generally, m4/3 cameras (I have used three, the G1, GF1, and EP2) feel, to me, slightly sluggish compared to a Leica, but are comparable to an SLR, and are much better than your average point and shoot. All I meant by "shutter lag" was the time the camera requires to perform the mechanical action of closing and reopening after your finger depresses the shutter button.

 

[infosecgeek]

I have to agree with Mabel.. They are comparable to an SLR not a point & shoot... Although I only use manual lenses so I may not be the standard user... I just got a Leica M6, so after a few days might be able to give a thorough comparison...

To me shutter lag is when a P&S tries to lock focus and the time from hitting the shutter button to the write.. I have none of these issues with the E-P2... I shoot my daughter all the time with it... The only difference in keepers for me is I hate the lack of shadow detail it has, so I will throw a lot out..

However I do not bring my 5D2 out to shoot my daughter anymore....

The last 4 months or so have been strictly with the E-P2 or GF1/EP1.. Several samples below

www.flickr.photos/secgeek

 

[Finder]

We can eliminate many of these causes of "shutter lag", except one, the delay in the EVF/LCD; this can only be compensated for by an optical viewfinder.

~Joe

Which is why I use an optical viewfinder with my E-P1. 😀