To those complaining about the lack of a VF in the EP1...

triplefinger said:
It's actually easy to focus. I have handled one. I suggest a trip to your local camera shop.
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I am sure inside the shop it is easy to focus. But how is it under the sun ?

Once upon a time photographing under the sun was the rule, and even the sunny 16 rule was invented as a cornerstone of exposure. Whenever you bought a new camera, instructions showed you first of all, as a customary matter, those drawings of the photographer under the sun.

Times have changed and some digital cameras seem to insinuate that photographing under the sun is a fringe fashion of the past. However get a look of the real approach by two long lasting manufacturers
http://en.leica-camera.com/home/

http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/index.htm

On the other hand the buyers of most eyefinderless cameras seem to not care about the small detail. After all the main purpose of a small digi is to admire it and show it to your friends...:)

But this in-depth thread, here at RFF, to cover up for the lack of a zoom eyefinder in a zoom camera - this is quite original and creative like a good picture should be.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
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well, I can't speak to shooting under the sun. I didn't go outside. with the enlargement focusing scheme though, I imagine it would be as challenging to focus the EP-1 as it would my canon p when the finder flares out.
 
Dunno about issues with bright sun.....
I work Philly and the Jersey Shore all the time. I have yet to have a problem seeing the screen in any light condition. There is a setting for the screen...
You can have it adjust to f stop or shutter speed as you adjust, the screen adjust to your setting...or...
the screen will just stay bright....that's what I use and I have no complaints...

In fact, one of the strong points of the camera is that you can see the screen and AF BOX...out to about 170 degrees angle from you....
that's great...and it works...
shooter
 
On my old digi cameras, the LCD screen was never visible in sunlight, at least not for fast work. I'm a believer in the "pro-sumer" point n' shoots, even though I owned an Oly E-1..

I use my Canon G5 with the zoom locked on wide with a CV 35mm finder.

Prior to the CV, I used a Retina 35/85 finder... now that was squinting.

With the Olympus 30-30 & 30-40, I used their squinty finders.

Touristy? Yes.

So much so that originally I had to whip out a press pass to get through thr lines. Now the local gendarmes mostly know the "old guy from the paper."

FWIW - on using 4X5's - back in the day for news work (yes, I'm that old) we always shot with the optical or the wire finder... never ever used the ground glass, except in the studio or for copying.

And as a side note - when we had to use the back, that ground glass was usally wiped with Vasolene to brighten the image.
 
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count_zero said:
I found the EVF on the G1 to be completely useless, other than to save some battery life and reduce glare. A smaller lcd screen that has less resolution bothers me, so I probably will never use it if they make one for EP-1 or 2.
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The G1 EVF might be small, but it's higher resolution than the LCD.

I'm pretty happy with the G1, and don't have any trouble focussing it or composing either with the EVF or the LCD; the latter mostly when swiveling it for less usual viewpoints. I can focus my Leica lenses, including the 50/1 and the 75/1.4 as easily and accurately on the G1 as I can on any of my Leicas. And I can focus my 200/4 micro Nikkor easier on the G1 than I can on any Nikon I've had. And I can focus my 400/6.8 Telyt. And the 560, but that's starting to get silly.

I'm not getting an EP-1, mostly because of the too limited (read lack of) viewfinder options but also because of a few other issues. In my (very personal) opinion Panasonic has gotten a lot more things right with the G1 than Olympus with the EP-1, in spite of a lack of photographic lineage.

I like direct vision viewfinders, I like ground glass. As a teenager I got a Yashica 44LM (127 TLR) after having an Agfa folder. Then I got Leicas. Then Speed Graphic and Minox. Then Konica AR's and Nikon F's and Olympus Pen F's. Then Cambos and Sinars and Linhofs, Hasselblads and Mamiyas, Widelux, Noblex, Roundshot and etc.... Now digital.

They all kind of work, and most can be focussed. The G1 is nice with it's two viewing options, and both being 'Live View'. Advantages and disadvantages with respect to optical viewfinders. My Canon 5DMkII has both. Most of the time the optical viewfinder is best, but when on a tripod, especially with the tilt shift lenses, and very especially with the new 17 tilt shift, Live View rules! Finally tilt assessment on a 35 that really works! But it's a bear handheld, with or without Live View.
 
Henning, you are missing out on a good camera in the E-P1.

As I have both the G1 and the EP-1, my "very personal' opinion is the E-P1 is better than the G1 in many respects.

Best regards, Terry
 
Terry, you know I respect your opinions, and there are definitely some things that the EP-1 does better than the G1. But for my purposes, the G1 does things better overall. At some point, and depending on what else comes along, I might get another m4/3 body. But it probably won't be an EP-1.

All the best,

Henning
 
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