It's official, it is goin to be a digital Pen

[kywong]

I don't understand why are we comparing FF to 4/3s, obviously today's FF is better than today's 4/3s. It's an inevitable tradeoff between image quality and size/weight/price, and Oly is simply filling in a gap in the market. If you feel that 4/3 sensors' performance under low light is poor, and low light performance is important to you, then don't buy one.

Yes, the m4/3 camera is not going to be pocketable, but the size difference does matter to some people. For me, I don't usually carry much with me, and I only have a decent sized bag, so if I carry a bag, I can (almost always) carry a Leica M with me, so it doesn't matter to me. But for my girlfriend, there is no room in her handbag for a Leica M, there is room, however, for a DP1. For my sister, since she couldn't care less about photography, she won't even carry anything with a bulging lens.

And what evolutionary dead end? Doesn't FF stay 24x36mm? Does that mean we've reached a dead end there too? There is plenty of progress in sensor technology over the years, in general, today's sensors clearly outperform older sensors of a comparable size.

 

[Kevin]

So what you're saying is you're sick of waiting for the olympus camera that is going to be announced in 2 weeks so you're going to wait an undetermined amount of time - probably over 6 months for a samsung camera that you know nothing about. To add to that, you're waiting on the premise that the sensor is much larger? It's a matter of millimeters!

Poor DR - see my comment above and link to DP review.
Poor focusing - E-3/E-30 currently have fastest AF system in the world and it's a very good system - not as mature as Canon and Nikon but still very good
Barrel distortion on 25mm- That sample I posted 2 pages back was taken with the 25mm pancake, but you already knew that from the massive distortion ruining the image and rendering faces as oblong objects (/sarcasm)

Basically I have the following problems with my Oly compared to the other digital cams I own and have borrowed.

Outdoors in high contrast light I have to severely underexpose the sensor to prevent blown out highlights. Then I have to raise the shadows but these end up being quite grainy, even at base ISO 100.

Indoors in low light situations my e410 simply will not focus and in many images the distortion made by my 25mm pancake is clearly evident.

So I've had enough of this brand for now and voiced my opinion about that. Other people have had positive experiences with their Oly cams and talk about these experiences too. That's what user forums are for.

Maybe the e410 + 25mm pancake was a bad choice on my part. I've taken a few keepers with this combo but I have had to work hard on exposures and the raw files to get the results I like. It's certainly possible but it's more work than I expected.

Since I have been waiting almost a decade for a digital camera to foster my Canon FD lenses I can certainly wait a year longer. I'll simply decide what to do next year. Then I'll have a few choices from at least three different brands.

Olympus should have taken the straight path by announcing the camera as finally designed (with pictures and specs), delivering it shortly thereafter while letting the beta-testers and early adopters do some honest, hands-on marketing.

 

[djonesii]

Well for me, the G1 is sitting unloved these days ..... It will come out again, I'm playing with 4X5 film right now, and it's a little different!

As part of this 4x5 experiment, I decided to start developing film, and that's fun. Which led back to my M6.

The point being, If Oly comes out with a M- mountable PENis, without the hump, I'll be stuck with having to be an early adopter again. The RF experience is just more fun to me than the spray and pray DSLR approach

I'm stuck between very late adopter ( Speed Graphic ) and early adopter (G1)

Lets all have some fun with taking photos.

Dave

 

[newspaperguy]

It's always interesting to hear the size vs. quality arguments... without answering what is to me the primary question. What are you using the photo for? In my case, publication - and seldom more than 3 columns wide (6 9/16") so even my ancient Oly C3030 (3.3 meg) works perfectly. As someone mentioned - getting the photo is the most important thing.

 

[scho]

Well for me, the G1 is sitting unloved these days ..... It will come out again, I'm playing with 4X5 film right now, and it's a little different!

As part of this 4x5 experiment, I decided to start developing film, and that's fun. Which led back to my M6.

The point being, If Oly comes out with a M- mountable PENis, without the hump, I'll be stuck with having to be an early adopter again. The RF experience is just more fun to me than the spray and pray DSLR approach

I'm stuck between very late adopter ( Speed Graphic ) and early adopter (G1)

Lets all have some fun with taking photos.

Dave

I was also stuck between using my old Tachihara 4x5 and the G1 so I decided to combine them by using the 4x5 as a stitching platform for the G1. Works very nicely and if you have the patience and appropriate subject some very big, high resolution images can be easily created. I just made a simple sliding back for the 4x5 out of a piece of gatorfoam, drilled a hole for an adaptor + extension tube, and attached the G1. I used a Rodenstock APO Sironar-S 135mm f/5.6 on the Tachi to produce this 3 shot 10x4 format stitched image.

Zoomify Image

 

[shadowfox]

This new camera is doomed for failure. No one in their right mind would want to spend close to a thousand dollars just to pay for smaller sensor. For my kind of photography, I can only be satiated with the full-frame cameras.

Forget about DOF, just by reading about it, I can already conclude that it won't give me the control that I need.

And don't even get me started with the noise level. From what I gather by reading online rumor mills, it's horrible.

I think Olympus should just give up making cameras and just stick to medical imaging or those cheap point and shoot cameras. After all, they are just a third rate Canon/Nikon wannabe. Their cameras are all looks so frail...

just by looking at them online, of course, I would never buy them and feel it for myself, I am just not that kind of person.









... see, Gavin, I am trying to see their point of view, I just feel ridiculous afterward 😕

Listen, you all Olympus hecklers, if you think that their cameras are so sub-standard that no pro-photographers or discerning amateurs are satisfied with them, then you are missing a lot... in addition to being wrong.

Of course that is your loss, not mine or the others who are willing to give something a run with objectivity before publicly writing negative opinions. And no, no one in this forum *owes* you any proof, because I don't think this is about a proof or a hundred of proofs.

I have a Canon 5D, and I shoot 5x7 sheet films. You don't think I have something to say about what a large sensor/film can produce?

Yet the *total* experience of using my new E-620 is very satisfying. That is not to say that the IQ is inferior, or that I compromise, that is just what's important to me.

So, if your importance lies in the specs. and the speculation of the specs. please continue to discuss something that you don't have a tangible experience with. You already get your reward.

If you have already give it a try and don't like it, by all means, wait for the Samsung, but I suspect then you'll find something else to be unhappy with.

Meanwhile myself and others who enjoy what Olympus has to offer, will wait to see what this new camera brings, and if it continues the tradition that they have established, chances are we are going to like this one too.

 

[gavinlg]

Basically I have the following problems with my Oly compared to the other digital cams I own and have borrowed.

Outdoors in high contrast light I have to severely underexpose the sensor to prevent blown out highlights. Then I have to raise the shadows but these end up being quite grainy, even at base ISO 100.

Indoors in low light situations my e410 simply will not focus and in many images the distortion made by my 25mm pancake is clearly evident.

So I've had enough of this brand for now and voiced my opinion about that. Other people have had positive experiences with their Oly cams and talk about these experiences too. That's what user forums are for.

Maybe the e410 + 25mm pancake was a bad choice on my part. I've taken a few keepers with this combo but I have had to work hard on exposures and the raw files to get the results I like. It's certainly possible but it's more work than I expected.

Since I have been waiting almost a decade for a digital camera to foster my Canon FD lenses I can certainly wait a year longer. I'll simply decide what to do next year. Then I'll have a few choices from at least three different brands.

Olympus should have taken the straight path by announcing the camera as finally designed (with pictures and specs), delivering it shortly thereafter while letting the beta-testers and early adopters do some honest, hands-on marketing.

The e-410, while capable is like buying a nikon fm10 to get into nikons film range. It's the base of the base, while Oly were at their worst. The sensor in that camera has the worst dynamic range out of all of the oly cams, and the most basic focussing system. I still manage to take great pics with mine when I use it though, and even my father who is camera-inept took stunning landscaped of Tasmania on a recent trip with it and the 14-42mm lens. The fact that you can't get yours to focus tells me that it's either a faulty lens focussing system or lack of ability. The 25mm pancake has distortion yes, but so do the nikon and canon 50mm lenses that cost twice as much (though maybe not quite so much). Such is the tradeoff for having a tiny little well made pancake lens no thicker than your finger with otherwise good optical qualities for less than $200. Buy a 14-54mm lens second hand and you'll get a cheap look at olympus's optical quality.

Try an e-30 or e-620 to see the leaps and bounds in highlight range and focusing that they've made in the recent years. The e-30 in particular has one of the fastest AF systems made and has heaps of DR, even in JPEGs.

 

[mfunnell]

The Canon 50d has the same actual pixel size of the Olympus E-3 (10mp) and is only a tiny little bit bigger than the Panasonic G1 (12mp). The canon guys are saying the next 60d is going to have more pixels again. If the Canon 50d has any advantages in sensor quality over the Olympus E-3 it's because of better sensor technology, NOT sensor size.

Reviewers say that Canon pushed the 50D too far for marketing purposes and it's actually worse than the 40D (Phil Askey, for instance).

Just as an aside, the 50D does not have worse image quality than the 40D (at least as I define it) although I do understand the sentiment and agree that for many people the 40D would be a better choice of camera. I've gone on about this elsewhere at (perhaps tedious) length.

...Mike

 

[splitimageview]

 

[Wiyum]

Oooh, now that's pretty... got any more?

 

[aizan]

awesome.

it's not even what i'd prefer. but that is awesome.

 

[AJ_W]

looks good.

 

[gavinlg]

Holy SH!T! It actually looks like an evolution of the pen!
And look at that gorgeous little 17mm f2.8!!!
I am buying this 100% definite.

Side pic:

 

[gavinlg]

Note that little rubber wheel below the mode dial - looks like it spins the recessed mode dial.
Also note the name - E-P1

 

[Cyrus]

http://43rumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/e-p1.png

 

[Wiyum]

Fascinating/frustrating that these early pics hide the two views that most of us most want to see.

Mostly, I'm curious about whether or not there's a dial hiding under that "E-P1" branded protrusion seen in the top view. Because if exposure controls are relegated to the 5-way, I'm going to be very, very disappointed.

I'm also curious to see if this'll use the G1's more standard 4/3 sensor or the GH1's multi-aspect 4/3 sensor.

 

[freeranger]

It's always interesting to hear the size vs. quality arguments...

My wife would not agree with you on this 🙁

 

[gavinlg]

I was thinking the exact same thing - It has an exposure compensation button on the top so I'm willing to bet it has a dial of some sort + that button. In full manual mode I'd bet that the dial will control the shutterspeed whilst pressing the ev comp button + the dial will change the aperture, a'la small DSLRs.

Here is a confirmed sketch of the back layout:

I hope that either that little rectangular box up the top right is a vertical dial or some sort of rotary dial, or the dial will be on that curve that sits under the top deck on the upper right.

 

[Ronald_H]

If this won't bring Oly back in the game, what will? I predict waiting lists of quite shocking proportions.

Frankly, this is the camera I've been waiting for. Small, inconspicuous, a fast (interchangable) prime on it and performance comparable to a decent dSLR + decent video capability. And my Leitz 35mm brightline will look quite, quite good on that accessory shoe.

This I will buy, no shadow of doubt.

 

[JonasYip]

This thread (
http://forum.xitek.com/showthread.php?threadid=628866http://forum.xitek.com/showthread.php?threadid=628866) had some specs. In Chinese, at least:


Olympus Pen E-P1
6月中發表
7月初發售
外型，大體上與模型差不多
120x70x35mm 300g (約)
顏色，銀和白的2種
價格 單機接近9萬日圓
加鏡頭2個售 12萬後半到13萬日圓

鏡頭，17mm F2.8 售4.5-5萬日圓間
薄煎餅和14-42mm F3.6- 售約3.5 萬日圓
(與雙鏡Kit)售價好像不吻合?

記錄 SD卡
畫素13M RAW JPEG RAW+JPEG
動畫1280x720 7min
640x480 14min
Liveview及內藏電子手震補正
3型液晶
11區域 AF
ISO 6400—200
(快門速度?)60-1/4000

Most of the specs are self-explanatory even in Chinese though (or gibberish, if your browser doesn't display Chinese). My Chinese is practically non-existent, but I think the non-obvious parts above include:

Announce in June. Ship in July. 17 is 50000 Yen. Kit zoom 35000 Yen.

Perhaps someone who actually reads Chinese will step in...

j