• Please use real names.

    Greetings to all who have registered to OPF and those guests taking a look around. Please use real names. Registrations with fictitious names will not be processed. REAL NAMES ONLY will be processed

    Firstname Lastname

    Register

    We are a courteous and supportive community. No need to hide behind an alia. If you have a genuine need for privacy/secrecy then let me know!
  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

Olympus Launches The E-P1 "Digital Pen"

Finally it has been revealed, after a long marketing campaign, the Olympus digital Pen, the E-P1.

Launched as Olympus first micro Four Thirds camera and the answer to a cry of the Olympus lovers for a digital version of the Pen F

EP1_pen-001.jpg

Source: dpreview, http://www.dpreview.com/previews/olympusep1/

It sports a four-third sensor but then in a very compact body. Made possible because the mirror-assembly had to go. In effect the camera is only slightly larger then a Panasonic LX-3. Further it has almost the same specifications as the Olympus E-30 including the in body IS and Olympus claims further improvements and a new image processor TruePic V

The micro-Four Thirds format allows all kinds of high quality glass, i.e. Leica M, to be mounted via adaptors. And it will be very interesting to see if production camera's will be able to have focus confirmation (with 11 af-points) and maybe even IS (claimed up to 4 stops) with these lenses.

To boot the camera supports HD movies (720p) and linear PCM sound recording.

It is supposed to hit the shelves coming July. More info on the official Olympus websites and the likes of dpreview.

I am certainly looking forward to seeing the first production sample pictures..


Regards, Martin
 

Mike Shimwell

New member
Have to say it looks like a nice package, but for the price:) In the UK we can pre order the kit with both a 17 f2.8 pancake lens (with a clip on optical finder) and the 14-42 zoom for £849. Dropping either lens seems to save about £100. This puts it quite a way aboe the entry level dslr's, although I suppose I'd prefer it to one of them in all fairness.

Mike
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Unfortunately the marketing hype invariably leads to a let down! But consider this..if I could have a small
12mp camera that takes an fov of 34 at 2.8 and can slip into my pocket ( overcoat ok ! ) and takes
movies with varying dof + stills I would love to have it, no. Well it is here and I find myself saying only
what no vf, no tilt and swivel lcd, only about 250 p resolution!

Well let's wait for the next marketing hype..maybe the panasonic is near!
 

Mike Shimwell

New member
Fahim, it does have a viewfinder for the prime at least - without that I would not even consider it, but if you can live with a clip on vf and 35mm equivalent prime then this is looking good. Tilt and swivel lcd would be nice, but I've never had one, so am not going to miss it (like liveview used to be:)) and I'm not sure what 250p resolution is??

It could potentially replace the 5D leaving me with just the big slr... depending on it's ability in low light.

Mike
 
Mike, the E-P1 is not necessarily aimed at entry level, it is an advancement on the creative Olympus E-30 (about pitched against Canon 50D). The price is actually well received, there was a rumor it would be around 30% higher.

To expect the low light/high ISO capability to be on par with a 5D is probably stretching it a bit. Even in the Olympus camp this would be a received as a very welcome surprise. But who knows. The attractiveness lies in the ability to have this highly capable camera in a very small, unobtrusive size whilst retaining flexibility of a DSLR.

A pro-wedding photographer already mentioned he would use a camera like this to film "the kiss". The E-P1 has video with AF & zoom enabled during video as the AF is contrast based (or selectable hybrid phase detect/contrast based). The lenses are supposed to be quieter but not as quite is the video grade 14-140mm Panasonic. Olympus also has a long history with sound recording, so the expectancies are high here as well.

The viewfinder for the 17mm is certainly an attractive option. For the zooms the LCD, non-articulated but with an extreme wide viewing angle, should be very capable. The wide viewing angle should also enable shooting from low down or above your head. No tilt and swivel but a very small package. Same goes for non-articulated screen - supposed to be thinner.

In an interview Olympus' Mr Watanabe already claimed a second micro-Four-Thirds body will have a optical or electronic viewfinder. This body will most certainly be larger.

Martin
 
Unfortunately the marketing hype invariably leads to a let down! But consider this..if I could have a small
12mp camera that takes an fov of 34 at 2.8 and can slip into my pocket ( overcoat ok ! ) and takes
movies with varying dof + stills I would love to have it, no. Well it is here and I find myself saying only
what no vf, no tilt and swivel lcd, only about 250 p resolution!

Well let's wait for the next marketing hype..maybe the panasonic is near!


The Panasonic is/are actually out for a while, the Panasonic G1 and the video enabled Panasonic GH-1. Very well received in Japan (at a certain moment the G1 held 4 spots in the top 10 camera sales in Japan, it is available in four colours!) but a bit slower in the rest of the world. There is a large group of advanced amateurs who adopted the concept and remain enthusiast.

As a system camera it is still limited - of course.

Martin
 
I think that this is a very interesting format and we will probably see other form factors, and prices in the future. I think that a 28mm equivalent fast prime and a small body like this would be a camera to have. I wish they had a black -or olive- body...

Someone should do something like this that would accept a MF digital back ... or a FF 35mm 22mp sensor. I would be a very quiet compact camera that could take very small, fast and sharp lenses...
 

Mike Shimwell

New member
Mike, the E-P1 is not necessarily aimed at entry level, it is an advancement on the creative Olympus E-30 (about pitched against Canon 50D). The price is actually well received, there was a rumor it would be around 30% higher.

To expect the low light/high ISO capability to be on par with a 5D is probably stretching it a bit. Even in the Olympus camp this would be a received as a very welcome surprise. But who knows. The attractiveness lies in the ability to have this highly capable camera in a very small, unobtrusive size whilst retaining flexibility of a DSLR.

A pro-wedding photographer already mentioned he would use a camera like this to film "the kiss". The E-P1 has video with AF & zoom enabled during video as the AF is contrast based (or selectable hybrid phase detect/contrast based). The lenses are supposed to be quieter but not as quite is the video grade 14-140mm Panasonic. Olympus also has a long history with sound recording, so the expectancies are high here as well.

The viewfinder for the 17mm is certainly an attractive option. For the zooms the LCD, non-articulated but with an extreme wide viewing angle, should be very capable. The wide viewing angle should also enable shooting from low down or above your head. No tilt and swivel but a very small package. Same goes for non-articulated screen - supposed to be thinner.

In an interview Olympus' Mr Watanabe already claimed a second micro-Four-Thirds body will have a optical or electronic viewfinder. This body will most certainly be larger.

Martin

Hi Martin

Yes, I suspect that it will not be as able in low light as the 5D - despite the 6400iso setting:)

Like so many others, having a small, but very capable camera, is the desire. It needs to be able to replace the 5D 50/1.4 combination around the house for available darkness pictures of the children, be a second/back up body for weddings and be small and silent where I'd normally carry the GX100 - which I tend to use with a clip on vf in any case. Maybe...

I am interested in the hybrid phase detect/contrast detect af system. Is this similar to the external phase detect of the Ricoh GX100 (and Konica Hexar AF if you're old enough!) with this being used to grab a quick af when you press the shutter quickly, but the contrast detect working when it has time?

The 17mm lens appeals, though it would be nice if it were a bit quicker (or use the forthcoming pana 20/1.7)

Mike
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
lcd res = 230k. compare this with competitors lx3/d-lux4;gh1 etc. the difference is vast. > 430

you can have your vf with the 17/2.8, yes. the 2.8 speed is less than of zuikos consumer lenses which have f2. for a carry around camera i want at least 2 ( or 1.7 as for pana 20 reportedly ). iso performance
has yet to be evaluated.

the af speed is nothing to write home about cf the pana g1 series.

I am evaluating this cam from my point of view. yes technology is wonderful, but i have other choices
to compare this offering with.

Of course YMMV.
 

Mike Shimwell

New member
Hi Fahim

Other choices are indeed wonderful - however, if the preview pics on dpreview are typical then I will not be getting one. Fortunately for Olympus, I think tey are probably not even close to what the camera will be able to achieve.

You are right of course that lens speed and af performance will be very important. If the camera is not properly responsive it will not meet most of this community's needs.

Mike
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Mike, I am willing it to be excellent as I want to get this or the G1H! With adapters my M lenses shall have another job!

Best.
 
Examples look disappointing

I must say, if the samples of this greatly anticipated camera and lens (17/2.8) posted on DPReview are representative, I am sorely disappointed. For example, this image, shot at ISO 200 and at f/6.3 (!!) shows exceptionally poor optical performace in terms of strong chromatic abberation across the entire image field, and very high image noise.

My 30-year old Olympus OM 24mm f/2.0, a much-harder-to-implement retrofocus design as compared to the straight symmetrical design called for a non-SLR 35mm-equivalent lens such as this new 17mm, has vastly superior optical performance.

One would think 30 years of technological advances would have imporoved the state of the art a bit, especially on a "premium" graded (based on price) product such as this new 17mm f/2.8.

Other "slow" 35mm (or equivalent) lenses, such as Voigtlander's 35mm f/2.5 Skopar, or even the 35mm f/2.8 fitted to my Minox 35 GT (1981), not to mention the 65mm on my 6x7 Mamiya, show vastly superior performance.

It's sad to see the company who once stunned the photographic world with their innovative Zuiko lenses in the 1970s and 1980 (many of which I consider to be better than the latest Canon/Nikon technological marvels) produce a junk lens like that, and choose it to launch their cool new camera model with.

Compare the array of exciting lenses which were launched at once with the dawn of the Pen F system, as well as the OM system. Man, I am glad I switched to film...
 

Mike Shimwell

New member
I must say, if the samples of this greatly anticipated camera and lens (17/2.8) posted on DPReview are representative, I am sorely disappointed. For example, this image, shot at ISO 200 and at f/6.3 (!!) shows exceptionally poor optical performace in terms of strong chromatic abberation across the entire image field, and very high image noise.

My 30-year old Olympus OM 24mm f/2.0, a much-harder-to-implement retrofocus design as compared to the straight symmetrical design called for a non-SLR 35mm-equivalent lens such as this new 17mm, has vastly superior optical performance.

One would think 30 years of technological advances would have imporoved the state of the art a bit, especially on a "premium" graded (based on price) product such as this new 17mm f/2.8.

Other "slow" 35mm (or equivalent) lenses, such as Voigtlander's 35mm f/2.5 Skopar, or even the 35mm f/2.8 fitted to my Minox 35 GT (1981), not to mention the 65mm on my 6x7 Mamiya, show vastly superior performance.

It's sad to see the company who once stunned the photographic world with their innovative Zuiko lenses in the 1970s and 1980 (many of which I consider to be better than the latest Canon/Nikon technological marvels) produce a junk lens like that, and choose it to launch their cool new camera model with.

Compare the array of exciting lenses which were launched at once with the dawn of the Pen F system, as well as the OM system. Man, I am glad I switched to film...


David

I commented on this too after looking at the sample pics - albeit not as eloquently as you. Having just sold my 70-300DO lens I have a well priced option on a Zeiss ZM 25/28 with vf and shade for my Ikon, or could pre-order an EP-1. Until some more samples appear I am persudaed that the ZM25 looks like better value, but I hope that Olympus wouldn't really introduce something so near and yet so flawed - apart from the damage to their reputation and brand, I would have hoped that the Japanese pride in what they make would have been sufficient to make it good. Still, we shall see.

Mike
 
Mike, as far as I know the hybrid AF works the other way around and is probably more aimed to reach as accurate as possible focus with adapter mounted full size four-thirds lenses. So contrast based first and phase detect to reach precise focus.

It will be interesting to see what the camera can do - what it can't do will be on dpreview within days - I sold of my Canon Powershot G9 on beforehand but am not in hurry to pre-order a E-P1. The sensor is supposed to be a further development from the sensor used in the E-30 (and E-620) and the Truepic V processor is promising improvements at high ISO. So that part of the package should be capable enough. The 17mm pancake may turn out not to be a photographers choice (at roughly $100 value can you expect it to be?) and I doubt it will be the last prime released for this format.

Olympus is also planning a higher specced version, but it is not known if this will mean better video or a range finder styled body with OVF and possibly a small built in flash. But it will certainly be larger.

Dawid, one of the reasons I stay with Olympus is the quality and versatility of the lenses. It would indeed be such a disappointment if Olympus lenses for micro Four Thirds would not be on par. Can't believe Oly will sit back and produce second grade glass. But just like with the introduction of the Four Thirds format, there maybe some head wind for them with this format as well.

Regards, martin
 

Mike Shimwell

New member
Martin, of course you are right. It is unreasonable of me to expect zm performance in a £100 lens - albeit that they are expecting to charge £289 for it over here is you don't buy it as part of the kit. However, that in itself wil persuade me to wait until it is established and there is a suitable range of glass before committing to the system.

In some ways it is a shame as I am reaching the conclusion that it is the ideal sort of camera for some documentary work - film can look old fashioned (I am told) and yet working in social situations it can be really helpful to have something small and not imposing. Still, there's no hurry and I have plenty to do already.

Mike
 
Leica name to appear on micro Four Thirds lenses?

In addition to the 20mm f1.7 Panasonic lens there may be more lenses becoming available. The current Panasonic micro Four Thirds lenses are Panasonic branded (whilst my Panasonic L1 has a Leica branded 14-50mm OIS lens) And there are "broad hints" that the Leica name will return on micro Four Thirds lenses.

Interesting feature of the hybrid AF is that as soon as the focus ring is used the screen magnifies to 10x enlargement. If this can be assigned to an Fn button focussing MF lenses can certainly be an option.

Martin
 
Last edited:
Top