Matus
Well-known
Well, right now the E-PL1 is 600 euro with kit lens in Germany. If it was 400 I would manage to persuade my wife to lift the "no-photo-stuff" embargo. But hey! - I completely missed the NX10 - now that just may be the camera I was waiting for. Let.'s see the performance. My old Minolta 7D needs a replacement and my Tachi 4x5 a light meter 
(I got spoiled by metering with a DSLR)
Some of you hope for "pro" model of the E-Pen line. Frankly - I do not see the point. Which "pro" would buy a camera with such a small sensor and limited selection of lenses? I guess that most digital pros use DSLRS or if necessary the M9. 4/3 is to me a system for keen amateurs what may also be the reason for missing fast(er) prime lenses. But I may be wrong ...
(I got spoiled by metering with a DSLR)Some of you hope for "pro" model of the E-Pen line. Frankly - I do not see the point. Which "pro" would buy a camera with such a small sensor and limited selection of lenses? I guess that most digital pros use DSLRS or if necessary the M9. 4/3 is to me a system for keen amateurs what may also be the reason for missing fast(er) prime lenses. But I may be wrong ...
nightfly
Well-known
Alex Majoli?
I'm frankly surprised they didn't get him to shill for the Pen. He seems to like Olympus stuff well enough to use for real work.
I've seen a bunch of the Magnum guys with Ricohs and other small point and shooty cameras now and then although I'm sure Leica would put an M9 in any of their hands if they asked pretty please.
I'm frankly surprised they didn't get him to shill for the Pen. He seems to like Olympus stuff well enough to use for real work.
I've seen a bunch of the Magnum guys with Ricohs and other small point and shooty cameras now and then although I'm sure Leica would put an M9 in any of their hands if they asked pretty please.
Al Patterson
Ferroequinologist
I thought you worked for Yashica...
IK13
Established
4/3 is just too small for my taste...
gohaj
Well-known
one sample shot here @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/singaporepictures/4422568964/
Miserere
Find Ranger
A few things I'd like to comment on regarding the Samsung NX10. And I don't work for Samsung either
1) Samsung DSLRs are sort of rebadged Pentaxes. Pentax developed the camera and shared the hardware with Samsung; each company developed their own firmware and image processing. In the K20D and K-7, Samsung developed the CMOS sensor. In the prior DSLRs the sensors came from Sony. Samsung's lenses were rebadged Pentax lenses, but each company did their own coating (Pentax has never licensed their SMC, Super Multi Coating).
2) The Samsung NX10 was developed independently from Pentax. Samsung recently created their own optical branch because they believe they have enough mind-power to design and build their own lenses, and that's what they're doing for the NX10, which is a new mount. The flash system is also their own.
3) I am not convinced Samsung will release their own K mount adapter for the NX, but if they do, it will most likely be mechanical, i.e., the lenses will have to be manually focused and stopped down.
4) Novoflex have announced a whole host of NX mount adapters:
* Nikon F
* Canon FD
* Minolta MD
* Minolta/Sony Alpha
* Leica R
* Pentax K
* Olympus OM
* M42
* T2
1) Samsung DSLRs are sort of rebadged Pentaxes. Pentax developed the camera and shared the hardware with Samsung; each company developed their own firmware and image processing. In the K20D and K-7, Samsung developed the CMOS sensor. In the prior DSLRs the sensors came from Sony. Samsung's lenses were rebadged Pentax lenses, but each company did their own coating (Pentax has never licensed their SMC, Super Multi Coating).
2) The Samsung NX10 was developed independently from Pentax. Samsung recently created their own optical branch because they believe they have enough mind-power to design and build their own lenses, and that's what they're doing for the NX10, which is a new mount. The flash system is also their own.
3) I am not convinced Samsung will release their own K mount adapter for the NX, but if they do, it will most likely be mechanical, i.e., the lenses will have to be manually focused and stopped down.
4) Novoflex have announced a whole host of NX mount adapters:
* Nikon F
* Canon FD
* Minolta MD
* Minolta/Sony Alpha
* Leica R
* Pentax K
* Olympus OM
* M42
* T2
Miserere
Find Ranger
Now some on-topic comments about the Olympus E-PL1.
1) It is clearly designed for shooters coming up from a P&S, but it has two important differences: Zooming and manual focusing are performed on the lens, not with buttons on the body.
2) Furthermore, if you're using a 3rd party lens via an adapter, you're also controlling aperture on the lens (as the camera won't stop the lens down for you), so just plonk the camera in Av and you don't need to touch any buttons, just the shutter release. I've been shooting with an E-PL1 for a couple of weeks and exposure is accurate and consistent, so using it with a Pentax FA Limited was easy and fun, not to mention I got good pics out of the combination.
3) Manual focus on the LCD is easier than on my Pentax DSLR's optical VF (and Pentax VFs are some of the best in the APS-C DSLR world). I sometimes used the magnified view, but most of the time it wasn't necessary.
4) No direct access to ISO. This is annoying, especially since the camera offers two customisable buttons on the back. For some inane reason "ISO" is not one of the many options available. Since this would be an easy firmware fix, maybe Olympus will add the feature at some point. You can assign them to some useful stuff like exposure lock, manual-focus mode, or turn the LCD off. This said, the OK button brings up a side menu overlay that includes ISO; as it remembers the last parameter you changed, each time you press it it will be a direct access to ISO. Not ideal, but it works.
5) EV comp and focus point are quickly accessible via direct button. So are flash and release timer, which aren't that necessary.
In short, if someone is looking for a micro 4/3 body to mount 3rd party lenses, the E-PL1 is a good, affordable option. I don't see much reason to spend more on an E-P1 or E-P2 unless you can't live without 1/4000s shutter speed or ISO 6400 (which isn't really usable anyway). If you're planning on owning a micro 4/3 system and are a serious shooter (which you probably are if you're on this forum), then I'd recommend an E-P2 for the added control wheels allowing better control of aperture and shutter speed with micro 4/3 lenses.
I have a review coming up on my website (hopefully tonight) so check it out if you want more info.
1) It is clearly designed for shooters coming up from a P&S, but it has two important differences: Zooming and manual focusing are performed on the lens, not with buttons on the body.
2) Furthermore, if you're using a 3rd party lens via an adapter, you're also controlling aperture on the lens (as the camera won't stop the lens down for you), so just plonk the camera in Av and you don't need to touch any buttons, just the shutter release. I've been shooting with an E-PL1 for a couple of weeks and exposure is accurate and consistent, so using it with a Pentax FA Limited was easy and fun, not to mention I got good pics out of the combination.
3) Manual focus on the LCD is easier than on my Pentax DSLR's optical VF (and Pentax VFs are some of the best in the APS-C DSLR world). I sometimes used the magnified view, but most of the time it wasn't necessary.
4) No direct access to ISO. This is annoying, especially since the camera offers two customisable buttons on the back. For some inane reason "ISO" is not one of the many options available. Since this would be an easy firmware fix, maybe Olympus will add the feature at some point. You can assign them to some useful stuff like exposure lock, manual-focus mode, or turn the LCD off. This said, the OK button brings up a side menu overlay that includes ISO; as it remembers the last parameter you changed, each time you press it it will be a direct access to ISO. Not ideal, but it works.
5) EV comp and focus point are quickly accessible via direct button. So are flash and release timer, which aren't that necessary.
In short, if someone is looking for a micro 4/3 body to mount 3rd party lenses, the E-PL1 is a good, affordable option. I don't see much reason to spend more on an E-P1 or E-P2 unless you can't live without 1/4000s shutter speed or ISO 6400 (which isn't really usable anyway). If you're planning on owning a micro 4/3 system and are a serious shooter (which you probably are if you're on this forum), then I'd recommend an E-P2 for the added control wheels allowing better control of aperture and shutter speed with micro 4/3 lenses.
I have a review coming up on my website (hopefully tonight) so check it out if you want more info.
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Miserere
Find Ranger
First part of my E-PL1 review is up, if anyone is interested.
coelacanth
Ride, dive, shoot.
Just received Panny 20mm so I put it on E-PL1.
Gotta say it's a nifty tiny pancake package.
Straight out of camera. ISO 400, F1.7.
Gotta say it's a nifty tiny pancake package.
Straight out of camera. ISO 400, F1.7.
Last edited:
Miserere
Find Ranger
Very nice... How does AF perform? Are you able to compare it to the Oly 17mm f/2.8?
I could spend a long time roaming the streets with that combination you have, as 40mm-equiv. is my favourite normal focal length. In my opinion, the strength of Micro 4/3 is to have pancakes like these, not zooms; but nobody's putting me in charge of a camera company any time soon.
FA Limited
missing in action
thanks for the early review miserere
coelacanth
Ride, dive, shoot.
Very nice... How does AF perform? Are you able to compare it to the Oly 17mm f/2.8?
I could spend a long time roaming the streets with that combination you have, as 40mm-equiv. is my favourite normal focal length. In my opinion, the strength of Micro 4/3 is to have pancakes like these, not zooms; but nobody's putting me in charge of a camera company any time soon.
I can't compare the speed or accuracy if AF with 17/2.8, but AF is smooth, quick enough (feels quicker than the kit 14-42mm) and everything is working fine with E-PL1 body. It's nice to see that big 7 aperture blades moving.
Yeah, 40mm is great focal length for street. I think this 20mm will be glued to E-PL1 until I replace the body in the future. I'm still a film user, and for my limited digital use, I think this kit does everything I need to do. Sure I could go with DP2, but this lens is quite something, and of course I can't play with my Leica glasses when I'm bored if I got DP2.
Oh, I didn't want to hijack the thread so I made a new thread and posted some pics with this setup.
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=88176
edwin_sn
Member
i sold my EP1 for an EP2 and ended up with the RD1 because the price of an EP2 is so close to that of the RD1. However my experience with the EP1 still had me wanting for the EP2 (i'm not comfortable composing my shots at arms length... so i need the EVF) and the EPL1 came out. The flash is a very much welcomed add on but not necessary for me and the dedicated movie button is also nice. And since i'm also into underwater photography the underwater this camera is so tempting to have since it has its own underwater housing.
As of now i cant decide on which to get. Yes the price of the EPL1 is cheaper than the EP2 but the EP2 comes standard with the EVF2. EVF2 is about $300 separately. So the EPL1 with EVF2 is $900. With less than $200 i would easily go for the EP2 without a doubt if only OLY had an underwater housing for it. And the retro look of the EP1/2 is just one of the factors i'm leaning towards it... if only they have the underwater housing
As of now i cant decide on which to get. Yes the price of the EPL1 is cheaper than the EP2 but the EP2 comes standard with the EVF2. EVF2 is about $300 separately. So the EPL1 with EVF2 is $900. With less than $200 i would easily go for the EP2 without a doubt if only OLY had an underwater housing for it. And the retro look of the EP1/2 is just one of the factors i'm leaning towards it... if only they have the underwater housing
hub
Crazy French
Just received Panny 20mm so I put it on E-PL1.
Gotta say it's a nifty tiny pancake package.
And you are using that viewfinder with this lens? How accurate is the framing?
Miserere
Find Ranger
Yeah, 40mm is great focal length for street. I think this 20mm will be glued to E-PL1 until I replace the body in the future. I'm still a film user, and for my limited digital use, I think this kit does everything I need to do. Sure I could go with DP2, but this lens is quite something, and of course I can't play with my Leica glasses when I'm bored if I got DP2.
I thought the add-on optical VF was a silly thing, but with AF set to center point and the AF confirmation beep turned on, it turns out to be quite usable, although I do tend to have AUTO ISO turned on to make sure I'm not shooting at 1/2s
Finder
Veteran
I thought the add-on optical VF was a silly thing, but with AF set to center point and the AF confirmation beep turned on, it turns out to be quite usable, although I do tend to have AUTO ISO turned on to make sure I'm not shooting at 1/2s
Ditto. I don't even use the AF confirmation beep. The focus is noisy enough to know when it is done.
ampguy
Veteran
Anyone notice benefits from the later sensor filter and processing engine on the elp1 vs ep1 and ep2?
Also, what's with Adapters for M lenses and wides (CV 15, 21). Are the CQ ones the best, or are the cheaper fotodiox ones usable?
Do the CV 15 and 21 do OK in corners/edges with straight JPGs out of this camera?
Also, what's with Adapters for M lenses and wides (CV 15, 21). Are the CQ ones the best, or are the cheaper fotodiox ones usable?
Do the CV 15 and 21 do OK in corners/edges with straight JPGs out of this camera?
Finder
Veteran
I use the cv21. It works well on the E-P1. Just know the the DoF scales are off by two stops. Here is a thread on the 21 with more links:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88064
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88064
Rodchenko
Olympian
Thread resurrection, sorry. I've just got my new EPL1 from the sorting office on the way to work.
I unpacked it on the station (careful to keep my penknife concealed from view, as the staff can get very touchy about that kind of thing), spent half an hour on the train with the manual, working through the settings, and was ready to shoot by the time I got off at London Bridge.
Ok, so it helps that I've read a lot of detailed reviews of pen series cameras in the mags and online, and I've watched a good few videos about the EPL1 on Youtube, so i had a bit of a headstart (as well as a couple of preconceptions which may not be correct).
First impressions: OK, it's plastic, and it's not the EP5 with VF4 I lust after, but it gets me into the Micro four thirds game, and with Olympus, too. I think that a number of the many Lumix products are better than the 'equivalent' Oly offering (GX7, with it's EVF, beats the EP5, I have to admit), but there's an aesthetic angle, too.
I've skimmed through the iAuto settings out of curiosity. Now, like most cameras, including a top end Nikon SLR, this can be used out of the box as a P&S (and why not, if that's what suits you?). But the iAuto is a bit of a nudge to help make better photos by extending creative control without having to know about technical stuff like aperture, ISO, depth of field, etc. As an aside, I am amused by how many lenses and cameras are now advertised for the quality of their 'blur' these days. If you get into the iAuto functions, I suppose it's a small push off the branch to get you to fly when you run out of branch. I hope it does encourage more people to think about their images, and get into taking some control.
But it's not for me. And the joy is that I can completely ignore it. It's just a redundant stop on my mode dial. Probably like the Art filters. I've shot with the grainy B/W which isn't as bad as I'd feared, and the sepia setting (I've sometimes used sepia in post processing, and I probably still will, based on the output in camera, which didn't look great on the camera screen. Pop art I'm unlikely to touch, and I can conceive of taking maybe a couple in the diorama setting for the novelty value. But I don't feel a camera is bereft without them.
Scenes, similarly, I used occasionally on the G11, mainly for speed if a situation changed, but, quite frankly, that's not going to get much use from me.
PASM is where the action is (I don't do video, and I can't see myself wanting to). I was pleased to find how easy the settings were to manage, even the Manual, which is right fiddly with the Canon, to the extent that I rarely used it at all. I'm likely to be spending time with AP.
Easy to hand are the flash settings (though it won't happen at all unless you pop up the alien in the corner. Good.), exposure compensation, AF area (crude, but effective, though you can't specify a 'third' point, disappointingly), and self-timer, which I use a lot less than I used to.
Gripes I heard about this camera in advance were these:
Slow focus - well, in a short session, I didn't notice anything amiss with this, but I have to admit that it was one of the Canon's weak points, so I'm comparing with a compact, not, say, a DSLR. Certainly faster than my 35mm AF cameras, but so it should be. I'm OK with it. It did hunt rather in close up, which I'll watch out for.
Plastic body - well, yeah, it's hard to deny. That is a metal front plate, and the rest is plastic, but it feels pretty robust. I did notice a slight movement somewhere as i walked with it in my hand, and I think it was something in the lens. Nothing to worry about, but a bit distracting. I do wonder about how these cameras will manage the long telephotos, lightweight though they are, and legacy glass attached to the front. I'd be worried about the tripod socket breaking loose in its mounting, even if this sounds a bit irrational. It manages the kit lens admirably, of course, and I aim to be using the 17/2.8 in the future, which is absolutely tiny, so it's barely going to be an issue. Even the second zoom - 40-150 - offers a 300mm 35mm equivalent, so, with that in the bag, I'll be able to do the amount of birding I ever do (need to book a trip to the Wetlands Centre as soon as I've saved up for that zoom). Last night, as I was going to catch a train, a Junkers Ju-52 flew low over the Thames, and I was sad that I only had the Canon to catch it with. Ironically, with this kit lens, I've got a much shorter tele, but if I get the other zoom, I'd have had a good lens for aviaiton as well (assuming I could have found somewhere to steady myself)
The body, while quite small (slightly shorter, wider and shallower than the Canon), is easy to hold, and the grip is well positioned and comfortable. From the aeshtetic POV, I'm glad I got the black one (there were a lot of white cameras on ebay, and, quite frankly, I'd have bought the cheapest decent one even if it were yellow).
And the menus - OK, fair cop. There's a lot of menus. Page after page of them. And, while there's some logic to them, the detail seems unnecessary, packed as they are with features I can't imagine ever needing. But I might. let's see. Does no harm that they are there, I suppose.
No control wheels feels limiting, until I remember that the Canon one turned and turned to little effect a lot of the time, and manual focussing with it would get your finger dizzy. As I mentioned, the key features (for me) are near to hand, and easy to set, especially with two reprogrammable buttons. Again, I'd love an EP5, but that ain't gonna happen. Yet.
One thing which had worried me was that hyooge red button right underneath where my thumb sits. I really really really didn't want to start recording a video by accident when I was close to a 'decisive moment'. But I've reprogrammed it to face detection, which I can use on and off with street shooting, so I'm OK with that. If I choose to do video, I'll dig in the menus for it.
Speed of shooting: Could be a big issue. To get going, you have to release the lens, which is tricky at the moment with my arm in a sling (oh yeah, all this will be better when my shoulder heals), remove a lens cap, and switch on the body. The body start up is quick, so long as you remember to turn your lens all the way across at least to 14, but that's three processes, compared to my 35SP's, er, none. The X10 has a lens cap to remove and a lens barrel to turn (no catch), which wins that contest. I left the lens opened and the body off when walking around, switching on as I started to line up a shot, and that was a decent compromise.
Another point on speed of shooting. If using the Art filters, be sure to have somewhere comfortable to sit while you wait for the image to write to the card. Well, OK, it's not quite that bad, but it could be tedious.
Something happened this morning which I haven't experienced for a while. Someone ducked to get out of a shot (they weren't in it anyway). I wonder if I've just gone from 'another tourist' to 'serious photographer' merely because I have a lens sticking out of the camera body? I don't shoot SLRs partly because of the bulk, which makes it a fag carrying them, and partly because they are so obtrusive. I hope the Pen doesn't show up so much. I guess this will reduce with the pancake lens instead of the zoom.
I need to think about how I shoot. Two of the main reasons I got the Canon were: Optical viewfinder (no vf built into EPL1) and the tilt/close LCD screen (fixed screen on EPL1). I like m43 because it gives me the flexibility to shoot a wide variety of styles and conditions with one machine, while (I hope) managing the middle bit of what I mainly use a camera for very well.
The proof is in the pudding, i suppose, so:
tl;dr: Nice new toy. Wait for the photos.
I unpacked it on the station (careful to keep my penknife concealed from view, as the staff can get very touchy about that kind of thing), spent half an hour on the train with the manual, working through the settings, and was ready to shoot by the time I got off at London Bridge.
Ok, so it helps that I've read a lot of detailed reviews of pen series cameras in the mags and online, and I've watched a good few videos about the EPL1 on Youtube, so i had a bit of a headstart (as well as a couple of preconceptions which may not be correct).
First impressions: OK, it's plastic, and it's not the EP5 with VF4 I lust after, but it gets me into the Micro four thirds game, and with Olympus, too. I think that a number of the many Lumix products are better than the 'equivalent' Oly offering (GX7, with it's EVF, beats the EP5, I have to admit), but there's an aesthetic angle, too.
I've skimmed through the iAuto settings out of curiosity. Now, like most cameras, including a top end Nikon SLR, this can be used out of the box as a P&S (and why not, if that's what suits you?). But the iAuto is a bit of a nudge to help make better photos by extending creative control without having to know about technical stuff like aperture, ISO, depth of field, etc. As an aside, I am amused by how many lenses and cameras are now advertised for the quality of their 'blur' these days. If you get into the iAuto functions, I suppose it's a small push off the branch to get you to fly when you run out of branch. I hope it does encourage more people to think about their images, and get into taking some control.
But it's not for me. And the joy is that I can completely ignore it. It's just a redundant stop on my mode dial. Probably like the Art filters. I've shot with the grainy B/W which isn't as bad as I'd feared, and the sepia setting (I've sometimes used sepia in post processing, and I probably still will, based on the output in camera, which didn't look great on the camera screen. Pop art I'm unlikely to touch, and I can conceive of taking maybe a couple in the diorama setting for the novelty value. But I don't feel a camera is bereft without them.
Scenes, similarly, I used occasionally on the G11, mainly for speed if a situation changed, but, quite frankly, that's not going to get much use from me.
PASM is where the action is (I don't do video, and I can't see myself wanting to). I was pleased to find how easy the settings were to manage, even the Manual, which is right fiddly with the Canon, to the extent that I rarely used it at all. I'm likely to be spending time with AP.
Easy to hand are the flash settings (though it won't happen at all unless you pop up the alien in the corner. Good.), exposure compensation, AF area (crude, but effective, though you can't specify a 'third' point, disappointingly), and self-timer, which I use a lot less than I used to.
Gripes I heard about this camera in advance were these:
Slow focus - well, in a short session, I didn't notice anything amiss with this, but I have to admit that it was one of the Canon's weak points, so I'm comparing with a compact, not, say, a DSLR. Certainly faster than my 35mm AF cameras, but so it should be. I'm OK with it. It did hunt rather in close up, which I'll watch out for.
Plastic body - well, yeah, it's hard to deny. That is a metal front plate, and the rest is plastic, but it feels pretty robust. I did notice a slight movement somewhere as i walked with it in my hand, and I think it was something in the lens. Nothing to worry about, but a bit distracting. I do wonder about how these cameras will manage the long telephotos, lightweight though they are, and legacy glass attached to the front. I'd be worried about the tripod socket breaking loose in its mounting, even if this sounds a bit irrational. It manages the kit lens admirably, of course, and I aim to be using the 17/2.8 in the future, which is absolutely tiny, so it's barely going to be an issue. Even the second zoom - 40-150 - offers a 300mm 35mm equivalent, so, with that in the bag, I'll be able to do the amount of birding I ever do (need to book a trip to the Wetlands Centre as soon as I've saved up for that zoom). Last night, as I was going to catch a train, a Junkers Ju-52 flew low over the Thames, and I was sad that I only had the Canon to catch it with. Ironically, with this kit lens, I've got a much shorter tele, but if I get the other zoom, I'd have had a good lens for aviaiton as well (assuming I could have found somewhere to steady myself)
The body, while quite small (slightly shorter, wider and shallower than the Canon), is easy to hold, and the grip is well positioned and comfortable. From the aeshtetic POV, I'm glad I got the black one (there were a lot of white cameras on ebay, and, quite frankly, I'd have bought the cheapest decent one even if it were yellow).
And the menus - OK, fair cop. There's a lot of menus. Page after page of them. And, while there's some logic to them, the detail seems unnecessary, packed as they are with features I can't imagine ever needing. But I might. let's see. Does no harm that they are there, I suppose.
No control wheels feels limiting, until I remember that the Canon one turned and turned to little effect a lot of the time, and manual focussing with it would get your finger dizzy. As I mentioned, the key features (for me) are near to hand, and easy to set, especially with two reprogrammable buttons. Again, I'd love an EP5, but that ain't gonna happen. Yet.
One thing which had worried me was that hyooge red button right underneath where my thumb sits. I really really really didn't want to start recording a video by accident when I was close to a 'decisive moment'. But I've reprogrammed it to face detection, which I can use on and off with street shooting, so I'm OK with that. If I choose to do video, I'll dig in the menus for it.
Speed of shooting: Could be a big issue. To get going, you have to release the lens, which is tricky at the moment with my arm in a sling (oh yeah, all this will be better when my shoulder heals), remove a lens cap, and switch on the body. The body start up is quick, so long as you remember to turn your lens all the way across at least to 14, but that's three processes, compared to my 35SP's, er, none.
The X10 has a lens cap to remove and a lens barrel to turn (no catch), which wins that contest. I left the lens opened and the body off when walking around, switching on as I started to line up a shot, and that was a decent compromise.Another point on speed of shooting. If using the Art filters, be sure to have somewhere comfortable to sit while you wait for the image to write to the card. Well, OK, it's not quite that bad, but it could be tedious.
Something happened this morning which I haven't experienced for a while. Someone ducked to get out of a shot (they weren't in it anyway). I wonder if I've just gone from 'another tourist' to 'serious photographer' merely because I have a lens sticking out of the camera body? I don't shoot SLRs partly because of the bulk, which makes it a fag carrying them, and partly because they are so obtrusive. I hope the Pen doesn't show up so much. I guess this will reduce with the pancake lens instead of the zoom.
I need to think about how I shoot. Two of the main reasons I got the Canon were: Optical viewfinder (no vf built into EPL1) and the tilt/close LCD screen (fixed screen on EPL1). I like m43 because it gives me the flexibility to shoot a wide variety of styles and conditions with one machine, while (I hope) managing the middle bit of what I mainly use a camera for very well.
The proof is in the pudding, i suppose, so:
tl;dr: Nice new toy. Wait for the photos.
Thardy
Veteran
Thread resurrection, sorry. I've just got my new EPL1 from the sorting office on the way to work.
I unpacked it on the station (careful to keep my penknife concealed from view, as the staff can get very touchy about that kind of thing), spent half an hour on the train with the manual, working through the settings, and was ready to shoot by the time I got off at London Bridge.
Ok, so it helps that I've read a lot of detailed reviews of pen series cameras in the mags and online, and I've watched a good few videos about the EPL1 on Youtube, so i had a bit of a headstart (as well as a couple of preconceptions which may not be correct).
First impressions: OK, it's plastic, and it's not the EP5 with VF4 I lust after, but it gets me into the Micro four thirds game, and with Olympus, too. I think that a number of the many Lumix products are better than the 'equivalent' Oly offering (GX7, with it's EVF, beats the EP5, I have to admit), but there's an aesthetic angle, too.
I've skimmed through the iAuto settings out of curiosity. Now, like most cameras, including a top end Nikon SLR, this can be used out of the box as a P&S (and why not, if that's what suits you?). But the iAuto is a bit of a nudge to help make better photos by extending creative control without having to know about technical stuff like aperture, ISO, depth of field, etc. As an aside, I am amused by how many lenses and cameras are now advertised for the quality of their 'blur' these days. If you get into the iAuto functions, I suppose it's a small push off the branch to get you to fly when you run out of branch. I hope it does encourage more people to think about their images, and get into taking some control.
But it's not for me. And the joy is that I can completely ignore it. It's just a redundant stop on my mode dial. Probably like the Art filters. I've shot with the grainy B/W which isn't as bad as I'd feared, and the sepia setting (I've sometimes used sepia in post processing, and I probably still will, based on the output in camera, which didn't look great on the camera screen. Pop art I'm unlikely to touch, and I can conceive of taking maybe a couple in the diorama setting for the novelty value. But I don't feel a camera is bereft without them.
Scenes, similarly, I used occasionally on the G11, mainly for speed if a situation changed, but, quite frankly, that's not going to get much use from me.
PASM is where the action is (I don't do video, and I can't see myself wanting to). I was pleased to find how easy the settings were to manage, even the Manual, which is right fiddly with the Canon, to the extent that I rarely used it at all. I'm likely to be spending time with AP.
Easy to hand are the flash settings (though it won't happen at all unless you pop up the alien in the corner. Good.), exposure compensation, AF area (crude, but effective, though you can't specify a 'third' point, disappointingly), and self-timer, which I use a lot less than I used to.
Gripes I heard about this camera in advance were these:
Slow focus - well, in a short session, I didn't notice anything amiss with this, but I have to admit that it was one of the Canon's weak points, so I'm comparing with a compact, not, say, a DSLR. Certainly faster than my 35mm AF cameras, but so it should be. I'm OK with it. It did hunt rather in close up, which I'll watch out for.
Plastic body - well, yeah, it's hard to deny. That is a metal front plate, and the rest is plastic, but it feels pretty robust. I did notice a slight movement somewhere as i walked with it in my hand, and I think it was something in the lens. Nothing to worry about, but a bit distracting. I do wonder about how these cameras will manage the long telephotos, lightweight though they are, and legacy glass attached to the front. I'd be worried about the tripod socket breaking loose in its mounting, even if this sounds a bit irrational. It manages the kit lens admirably, of course, and I aim to be using the 17/2.8 in the future, which is absolutely tiny, so it's barely going to be an issue. Even the second zoom - 40-150 - offers a 300mm 35mm equivalent, so, with that in the bag, I'll be able to do the amount of birding I ever do (need to book a trip to the Wetlands Centre as soon as I've saved up for that zoom). Last night, as I was going to catch a train, a Junkers Ju-52 flew low over the Thames, and I was sad that I only had the Canon to catch it with. Ironically, with this kit lens, I've got a much shorter tele, but if I get the other zoom, I'd have had a good lens for aviaiton as well (assuming I could have found somewhere to steady myself)
The body, while quite small (slightly shorter, wider and shallower than the Canon), is easy to hold, and the grip is well positioned and comfortable. From the aeshtetic POV, I'm glad I got the black one (there were a lot of white cameras on ebay, and, quite frankly, I'd have bought the cheapest decent one even if it were yellow).
And the menus - OK, fair cop. There's a lot of menus. Page after page of them. And, while there's some logic to them, the detail seems unnecessary, packed as they are with features I can't imagine ever needing. But I might. let's see. Does no harm that they are there, I suppose.
No control wheels feels limiting, until I remember that the Canon one turned and turned to little effect a lot of the time, and manual focussing with it would get your finger dizzy. As I mentioned, the key features (for me) are near to hand, and easy to set, especially with two reprogrammable buttons. Again, I'd love an EP5, but that ain't gonna happen. Yet.
One thing which had worried me was that hyooge red button right underneath where my thumb sits. I really really really didn't want to start recording a video by accident when I was close to a 'decisive moment'. But I've reprogrammed it to face detection, which I can use on and off with street shooting, so I'm OK with that. If I choose to do video, I'll dig in the menus for it.
Speed of shooting: Could be a big issue. To get going, you have to release the lens, which is tricky at the moment with my arm in a sling (oh yeah, all this will be better when my shoulder heals), remove a lens cap, and switch on the body. The body start up is quick, so long as you remember to turn your lens all the way across at least to 14, but that's three processes, compared to my 35SP's, er, none.
Another point on speed of shooting. If using the Art filters, be sure to have somewhere comfortable to sit while you wait for the image to write to the card. Well, OK, it's not quite that bad, but it could be tedious.
Something happened this morning which I haven't experienced for a while. Someone ducked to get out of a shot (they weren't in it anyway). I wonder if I've just gone from 'another tourist' to 'serious photographer' merely because I have a lens sticking out of the camera body? I don't shoot SLRs partly because of the bulk, which makes it a fag carrying them, and partly because they are so obtrusive. I hope the Pen doesn't show up so much. I guess this will reduce with the pancake lens instead of the zoom.
I need to think about how I shoot. Two of the main reasons I got the Canon were: Optical viewfinder (no vf built into EPL1) and the tilt/close LCD screen (fixed screen on EPL1). I like m43 because it gives me the flexibility to shoot a wide variety of styles and conditions with one machine, while (I hope) managing the middle bit of what I mainly use a camera for very well.
The proof is in the pudding, i suppose, so:
tl;dr: Nice new toy. Wait for the photos.
The zoom lenses are really convenient, but yes they are a bit large compared to the camera.