Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GF-1

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic GF-1

  • Olympus E-P1

    Votes: 180 36.6%

  • Panasonic GF-1

    Votes: 312 63.4%
  • Total voters
    492
  • Poll closed .
Man, all the used E-P1's with 17mm lenses have dried up... :( When I wasn't ready to buy they seemed to be all over the place. Now, none...
 
I grabbed a ep1 and 17mm last week from b&h. I love it so far and its nice to have a digital again after being without for over a year.

I was struggling deciding between the ep1 and the gf1 but the in body IS sealed it for me.

I am definitely planning on getting the Pana 20mm 1.7 in the future. Am I wrong in assuming that with IS and f1.7 I will be able to use the camera in very low light conditions? Anyone have experience with this combo?
 
andredossantos said:
I grabbed a ep1 and 17mm last week from b&h. I love it so far and its nice to have a digital again after being without for over a year.

I was struggling deciding between the ep1 and the gf1 but the in body IS sealed it for me.

I am definitely planning on getting the Pana 20mm 1.7 in the future. Am I wrong in assuming that with IS and f1.7 I will be able to use the camera in very low light conditions? Anyone have experience with this combo?
Click to expand...

Oh yeah,
I got the 20 with the idea of selling the 17. Never happened. I have both...anyway, the 20mm with the IS of the Pen will put you in a very nice place.
Low light isn't so low anymore....It's a magical combo......
You will absolutely love the combo.....but don't forget to use the 17 once in a while.....
shooter
 
Thanks for the info, M4streetshooter! I'm excited! Also, let me say that your enthusiasm (along with Fdigital's) for this camera in this forum played a big part in my decision to get an ep-1. So, thanks for pushing me over the edge, I love the camera more and more each day :)

Also, I don't plan on parting with the 17mm. I like the lens a lot and am a big fan of the 35mm FOV.
 
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They did not adjust AF speed in the latest EP1 update. It AF updates were done to 1.1 update. Not 1.2.

You are experiencing a placebo effect.
 
jbf said:
They did not adjust AF speed in the latest EP1 update. It AF updates were done to 1.1 update. Not 1.2.

You are experiencing a placebo effect.
Click to expand...

Others are feeling it as well. I think they tweaked it without saying anything. Mine is definitely slightly different. Some people have timed the af before and after the update and found that with the 20mm pancake the times have nearly halved.
 
It really comes down to whether you want image-stabilization or if that is not as important to you. Having used both at work, i work at a camera store, I really like the GF-1 based on size, look, feel, and the EVF. The EP-1 is no slouch thought, image-stabilization is fantastic and you can't beat that retro look. They are both fantastic cameras and you would easily be happy with either one. Now we have to wait and see who else jumps into the market....
 
Time to expand.

Time to expand.

It seems now that the e-p2 is out, there should be some other choices added to the poll. Namely, the G-F1 with the electronic viewfinder and kit zoom cost the same amount as the e-p2 with the electronic viewfinder and the kit zoom. The E-p1's lack of EVF option really put a mark against it. Now that the e-p2 has a superior veiwfinder for the same price as the G-f1 after purchasing the EVF accessory, I wonder how this would effect poll results?
 
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There is a difference in the focusing on the Pen1. With the 20, it's very noticable.
With the 17 it's somewhat better but it wasn't bad before.
I and others see the difference.

At any rate, I love this camera just the way it is...
Shooter
 
You can get a refurb of the OLY DSLR e420 and/or E520 with 14-50mm lens for $349. that would sound good to me. Get an optical VF. FYI only
 
I was looking at both of these cameras in the store and for the life of me could not figure out if there was a way to pre-set focus to let's say 2.5m or 5m for zone focusing (using the 17 or 20mm lens). I really need this feature for street photography. Basically I am looking for the pre-focus features of the Ricoh GRD/GXR models.

The Oly rep couldn't come up with an answer and neither could the sales person for the Pana. Maybe someone here knows...

Also, is it possible to use the lenses from the original film PEN on either of these cameras via an adapter? I assume that you will lose the automatic aperture function and be limited to stop-down metering.

thanks
 
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Yes, you can prefocus the E-P1. Switch to manual focus; focus on an object at the required object distance, don't touch the lens ring after that or tape it.

More and more adapters are coming out. Not knowing what the Pen mount is, I cannot say if one has been released. Although I think I have seen an E-P1 with a Pen lens on it--E-P1 owners are funny that way. And yes, no automatic aperture or focus control. Both aperture priority and manual exposure are easy on the E-P1. I use a Voigtlander Heliar 12mm on mine.
 
Finder said:
Yes, you can prefocus the E-P1. Switch to manual focus; focus on an object at the required object distance, don't touch the lens ring after that or tape it.
Click to expand...

Thanks. But unfortunately that's a less than ideal solution...


More and more adapters are coming out. Not knowing what the Pen mount is, I cannot say if one has been released. Although I think I have seen an E-P1 with a Pen lens on it--E-P1 owners are funny that way. And yes, no automatic aperture or focus control. Both aperture priority and manual exposure are easy on the E-P1. I use a Voigtlander Heliar 12mm on mine.
Click to expand...

ok, thanks.
 
Yes, there's a Pen adapter--Pen lenses perform on this format better than any other legacy lens I've tried. They are awesome. Check eBay for the adapter.

Metering is indeed stop-down but the screen or EVF compensates very deftly for changes in aperture, so it isn't problematic the way it is on an old SLR.

4190416621_b3e12830e9.jpg
 
Harry Lime said:
I was looking at both of these cameras in the store and for the life of me could not figure out if there was a way to pre-set focus to let's say 2.5m or 5m for zone focusing (using the 17 or 20mm lens). I really need this feature for street photography. Basically I am looking for the pre-focus features of the Ricoh GRD/GXR models.

The Oly rep couldn't come up with an answer and neither could the sales person for the Pana. Maybe someone here knows...

Also, is it possible to use the lenses from the original film PEN on either of these cameras via an adapter? I assume that you will lose the automatic aperture function and be limited to stop-down metering.

thanks
Click to expand...

I use the auto focus of the GF1 for street photography and it works fast, no matter what lens I am using.
 
kbg32 said:
I use the auto focus of the GF1 for street photography and it works fast, no matter what lens I am using.
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It's not so much an issue of how fast the AF is, but that AF is not really the right tool for street photography.

Scale or zone focusing is infinitely faster than any AF system out there and you don't need to center the subject to get focus. With AF you need to focus, recompose and then hit the shutter release. With scale focusing you compose and shoot. Much, much faster.
 
mabelsound said:
Yes, there's a Pen adapter--Pen lenses perform on this format better than any other legacy lens I've tried. They are awesome. Check eBay for the adapter.

Metering is indeed stop-down but the screen or EVF compensates very deftly for changes in aperture, so it isn't problematic the way it is on an old SLR.
Click to expand...

Thanks. So, when it says 35mm on a PEN lens, do they mean 35mm equivalent in half-frame format or a 35mm in 135 that would be 70mm on the PEN/M43rd?

Also do you lose all metering modes, when using lenses via an adapter? Or will the GF-1/EP-X meter through the stopped down lens?


thanks
 
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