Olympus E-P1 Pen Digital Camera w/ 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver) & Optical Finder

Comments about Olympus E-P1 Pen Digital Camera w/ 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver) & Optical Finder:

I bought this camera because I felt limited by my existing point-and-shoot, yet, I wasn't ready to commit to lugging around a cinder block (DSLR). I had also been considering the Lumix GF1, but ultimately the lower price and the vintage style factor sold me on this Olympus E-P1. I absolutely love it; the image quality is unbelievable (i.e., I can now get shallow depth of field and those creamy bokeh unheard of in a P&S). And the construction is really solid; none of those flimsy rubber hinges and mushy clasps that you find on the Canon point-and-shoots, for example. It also just *feels* good when the shutter releases. Solid.

That said, I think Olympus should have hired an information architect and a usability specialist for this model, and focused more attention on the organization of the buttons and onscreen menus. I realize that this is personal preference, but I would rather have to drill down a few "clicks" into an intuitively-organized menu than to be constantly putting my thumb on a button whose purpose I am not exactly sure of (and whose acronym is not intuitive, and that the manual is of little help in explaining). Some things would be better kept out of the way until you need them. Speaking of the manual, it seems that it was written almost as an afterthought, hastily pulled together on the heels of a product that was sped to market rather than as if by design. Lots of confusing cross-references and turning to different pages for related info.

One thing that *is* a really nice, thoughtful feature is the ability to customize what some of the controls do. For example, in aperture-priority mode, you can assign one control wheel to change the aperture, and the other to increase/decrease the exposure in steps, for really fast bracketing. Whichever wheel works better for you. Worth noting, though, one of the thumb wheels is sort of in the way of what would be a natural resting place for your right thumb.

The auto-focus works great, but as I did, you'll probably want to fiddle around with the setting to get it to perform to your liking. I have it set so that I can use dead center as my auto focus/exposure point, and after that is attained (shutter pressed half way) I compose the shot with the subject off-center, and let it rip.

It's nice to be able to choose between aspect ratios: 4:3, 3:2, and 16:9, and the unused portions of the screen in the latter two cases are letterboxed out appropriately.

I don't mind the lack of a flash. The aesthetic I'm after doesn't require one, and the f/2.8 lens will let in a surprising amount of light even in low light conditions.

Because my images are bound for the Web (and because I am an artist/hobbyist, not a pro), I don't care a whit about RAW, but if you do, This camera's RAW files are now supported in iPhoto and Aperture (and probably most other image editing programs).

But despite the minor annoyance of a number of "things I would have done differently if I had designed it," I have invested the time and learned the system and the controls, and am happily capturing some of the best images I ever have, with a camera that I can fit in my overcoat pocket. It really does grow on me every day, and I forgive it its slight usability flaws.

While it is a charming addition, I have not found the viewfinder to be very useful; I wish I had gotten the package with the 14-42mm f3.5 - 5.6 Micro 4/3 Zoom lens and no viewfinder, and then either bought this 17mm f/2.8 pancake lens or the even brighter Lumix 20mm f/1.7 Aspheric G- Series Lens separately. Funny, I don't miss zoom as much as I thought I would. I think it improves my photography skills to find a diversity of compositions using only a prime lens.

Comments about Olympus E-P1 Pen Digital Camera w/ 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver) & Optical Finder:

I bought the EP1 as a second/travel camera as the one that I primarily use is a bulky/heavy camera.Because this was meant to be a second camera, I did not want to spend too much.

The EP1 certainly excels in this regard. It is compact and light and I can easily store it in my purse and have it handy at all times. I bring it to work with me everyday (the only way to improve is to keep shooting!) and even when walking about town, wearing it around my neck is a lot more comfortable than my giant digital SLR. It was relatively "affordable" considering I opted for the EP1 over the EP2.

The controls are easy to use and the images are great. I immediately bought a Voigtlander 35mm lens to use with the camera and although I was a little bit discouraged with the manual focusing, I adapted to it pretty quickly. I did have trouble with not having a viewfinder but I am also quickly getting used to that. One negative is the LCD screen which is perfectly fine indoors but on a really sunny day I find this to be a major turnoff.This is especially discouraging when a lens without autofocus is attached!

My only solution to my issues is that on major trips, I think I may just take the kit lens or the panasonic lumix lens which can be used with autofocus. This way, even outdoors, I can rely on the autofocus and not on the LCD screen/manual focus to take pictures.

Overall I am extremely happy with this purchase. I am going on a trip this week and I am already excited that, for once, I wont be lugging around my heavy equipment.

Comments about Olympus E-P1 Pen Digital Camera w/ 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver) & Optical Finder:

I loved this camera from the moment I removed it from the box. The metal body has a nice heft to it and seems very well built. I view it as a step up from the point-and-shoot with better optics and features. On the down side, the lack of a built-in flash is a slight problem. On the other hand many of the built-in flashes that pop-up out of the camera body are flimsy so maybe it is a good move after all!

Comments about Olympus E-P1 Pen Digital Camera w/ 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver) & Optical Finder:

First bought an Olympus OM-10 in 1980, took great photos. I do a lot of film work with a Hasselblad, and have resisted digital, but this retro- looking metal camera is it for me. Interchangeable lenses and many shooting options available. The quality is great, for street or grab shots. Everyone thinks it is an "old school" film camera! If you want sharp photos and a fun camera don't hesitate this is it.

Comments about Olympus E-P1 Pen Digital Camera w/ 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver) & Optical Finder:

As focusing is so slow it would be essential to have ability to photograph the old way with with wide angle fixed focus lenses. This means set your aperture and control your depth and field and forget about focusing after that. With the Olympus lens you can't do this. You can't control your depth and field and set your focus. You have a focusing that tells nothing. Dissapointing design here! I will buy some other lens that has what I need and skip the 17mm lens. Camera is great but focusing stinks.

Comments about Olympus E-P1 Pen Digital Camera w/ 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver) & Optical Finder:

The Olympus E-P1 is a great camera, for as long as you understand it's limitations. It is not meant to be the ultimate camera to achieve the greatest image quality (for that, I would pack my D3X), but it is the ultimate camera to carry with you on moments of relaxation.

I have only one complaint about this product. The screen is not good enough to allow a reliable manual focus, one thing that to me is very important. If they put a nice optical viewfinder(no electronic viewfinder) like the one you find on Leica, it would be a perfect camera. I know that won't happen, so i will settle for a better resolution screen (930.00dots perhaps).

Comments about Olympus E-P1 Pen Digital Camera w/ 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver) & Optical Finder:

Have had progression of Ricoh GRs from I, II, and III.

The last GRII was stolen but was disappointing as the preceding models took superior pics. Never bothered to replace and am now using the EP-1 with pancake lens. Pictures have 'magical' and velevety appearance not dissimilar to old Leica film.

Absolutely fantastic and always with me now.