Olympus PEN E-PL1 12.3MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens…

June 24, 2010 Sclark 5 comments

Olympus PEN E-PL1 12.3MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Black)

12.3-megapixel interchangeable lens digital camera; Micro Four Thirds format
Includes 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 digital zoom lens; features built-in flash
2.7-inch HyperCrystal LCD with Live View function; Continuous Autofocus (C-AF) tracking system
Capture HD video with high-quality audio; new “Direct Button” for easy recording
New Live Guide interface simplifies great photography; capture images to SD/SDHC cards (not included)

OLYMPUS 262856 12.3 Megapixel E-PL1 Pen Camera (Black with M. Zuiko 14-42mm lens)

Rating: (out of 48 reviews)

List Price: $ 599.99

Price: Too low to display

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Camera And Photo 12.3MP, 1442mm, Black, Camera, Digital, EPL1, f/3.55.6, Four, Interchangeable, Lens, Live, Micro, Olympus, Thirds, Zoom, Zuiko

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Written by Paul Bianchi about 2 years ago.

Review by Paul Bianchi for Olympus PEN E-PL1 12.3MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Black)
Rating:
I’ve had the camera for a few days now, have been going out each afternoon experimenting with it, and so far I’m very happy with the purchase. But I think there’s a lot of personal taste involved in buying any expensive camera, and you should try out several cameras “live” before buying this or any other one. I’m not going to repeat the pros and cons listed in other reviews – by and large I think others have done a good job pointing those out. I’m probably the target market – I was looking seriously at a Canon G11 or a Lumix LX3 before deciding to plonk down a bit more cash for this. I am happy with this camera because my priorities are:

- small size: I hike a lot, and want a light camera that will happily go in my backpack with lunch. DSLR’s were just a little too too bulky for my taste. I really like the size of the camera, was willing to pay a bit extra for it. At some point I will probably spring for the 17mm “pancake” lens to trim it down even more. But when I have more cash.

- SLR quality pictures: I was into hobby photography in school and got away from it when work got busy. I want the ability to take some nature and travel pics that can withstand some enlargement. The pictures I’m getting out of the E-PL1 are gorgeous, and I’m really excited about “taking it on the road”.

- speed isn’t an issue: a major complaint about the camera is that the autofocus isn’t as fast as on some other cameras. For sports photography, that’s probably an issue. For scenery and portraits, who cares. It’s not so bad that I’d have noticed if the reviewers hadn’t mentioned it, but then I’m not used to using a DSLR.

- don’t care about a viewfinder – I’ve got astigmatism and with glasses, viewfinders are a pain. I went out shooting at sunset and intentionally shot with the sun on the LCD screen, and while it wasn’t ideal,I could still work with it.

Read the reviews at dpreview, steves digicams, photographyblog – lots of good information and analysis. Frankly, I’d ignore most of the message boards and blogs, too many people getting ridiculously passionate about minutia. If you are THAT serious a photographer, this isn’t the camera for you. But 95% of us AREN’T so into photography that we will sacrifice our firstborn rather than give up our allegiance to Panasonic/Canon/Nikon/whoever. So be thoughtful about your priorities, and go handle it in a store for a while. For my needs, it just fit.
Written by Mario Antoine about 2 years ago.

Review by Mario Antoine for Olympus PEN E-PL1 12.3MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Black)
Rating:
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R6S9GQZN0AQK8
Written by B. Fuller about 2 years ago.

Review by B. Fuller for Olympus PEN E-PL1 12.3MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Black)
Rating:
What do you get when you take Olympus PEN and mix it with a stripper (Of course I mean someone who strips features from a camera). You get the E-PL1 camera which is a little bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand you have one of the best versions of the m4/3 sensor to date. From what I have read it is better than both the E-P1 and E-P2 sensors. It is hard to tell the difference at normal screen and printing resolutions and I take a picture at its whole and don’t pixel peep so I cannot verify that. What I can say is this camera is capable of producing world class images. Additionally, this camera has the Olympus JPEG engine which is regarded in the business as one of the best. This camera is also relatively small and light and includes a fill flash. Additionally, it has image stabilization (IS) built into the camera. It is not pocketable and the size of this camera has more to do with the lens that it is wearing then the actual camera itself.

On the other hand, you have a camera that is slow to focus. It appears to me that it zooms to infinity (and beyond) and then catches the focus on its way back in. If you are taking pictures of forever-in-motion kids you can be sure you will miss quite a few decisive moments. Additionally, this camera lacks the most important camera control there is. This is the control wheel used to change exposure, aperture, and shutter settings in a quick efficient manner. Instead this camera uses buttons which is an unwieldy way of making these changes. Most higher end Point and Shoot (P+S) cameras have some version of this control wheel. I think anyone transitioning to this camera from a DSLR or high end P+S will be frustrated by this. I’ve seen this billed as a good thing as there are less controls to get confused over. That may be so but all m4/3 cameras can be used as point and shoot by just keeping in the intelligent Auto(iA) mode. This simplifies the menu options and takes great pictures a majority of the time.

I think for anyone who wants to step up from a P+S to take better Image Quality pictures but plans to stay in the iA mode 90% of the time, then this camera will serve you well and will take some amazing images. Just remember P+S type focusing speed.

Anyone, who has a E-P1or E-P2 who want a sensors with a weaker Anti-Aliasing filter (i.e. less detail lost to the AA filter) and a fill flash will enjoy this camera for the IQ but will probably be frustrated with the loss of the control wheel

Anyone either stepping up from a high end P+S such as the LX3, S90, or G11 will be impressed with the images, but not blown away by the difference, unimpressed with the P+S focus performance, and frustrated in the P, A, S or M shooting modes. Additionally, you will be unimpressed with the bigger size of the camera but will enjoy the flexibility if your budget includes other lenses.

Anyone, getting this as a second carry around camera to a DSLR, will be happy with the smaller size and weight but unhappy with the slower performance. And frustrated by the clumsy controls but happy with the video capabilities.

If you don’t need or want the video, don’t mind IS in the lens instead of the camera, and can put up with a slight decrease in you IQ, ISO, and JPEG performance, then the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 12.1MP Digital Camera with Lumix G Vario 14-45 mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega OIS Lens (Red) offers many upgrades at the same price (Integrated 1.4mp EVF, Swivel Screen, 460k screen, Grip for bigger lenses, faster focus performance, etc)

For the same price, the newly announced G10 matches the E-PL1 with video, and new processing engine (cross your fingers for a JPEG improvement). Additionally, it has a 2kp EVF (I’m not sure how useful that will be), a grip, a control wheel, a 1/4000 shutter speed and faster focus performance. It does not have in-camera IS.

For those planning on getting the EVF at some point or with an ~$200 greater budget, check out the newly announced G2. Take the G1, add 720P 60/50fps video, an improved processing engine, a new dial to change focusing modes, touch screen controls that look to work as slick as an iPhone, and touch screen focus, and you have a really really nice full featured camera.

Finally, if you don’t need interchangeable lenses or don’t plan on buying any more lenses and you don’t mind a degradation of IQ, then the Canon S90, Canon G11, and Panasonic LX3(Leica D-Lux 4) are easier to carry around everywhere (especially the S90) and are cheaper(the gap will close when the price of this camera falls).

Here is a quick list of pros and cons of the E-PL1

Pros

The best Olympus implementation of the m4/3 sensor

One of the best JPEG engines in the business

Relatively small and light

Built in flash

In camera Image Stabilization(IS)

Price (The cheapest m4/3 yet)

Optional EVF (A very nice 1.4mp unit but very pricy at $279)

Its available

Nice build quality

Cons

Slow Autofocus (Panasonic has this figured out. Olympus, not so much)

Missing Control Wheel slows down aperture, shutter, and exposure changes

Only 230k screen?!

1/2000 shutter speed?! A lot of P+S go to 1/4000

Locking lens is annoying to deploy and stow

Overall

A competent and nice camera that will take stunning images. Slow autofocus and clunky controls will make this camera frustrating to many people.
Written by Paul Liesenberg about 2 years ago.

Review by Paul Liesenberg for Olympus PEN E-PL1 12.3MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Black)
Rating:
I just bought the Olympus E-PL1 so this review will be updated once I have truly learned to exploit the cameras ability a bit further. First of all – if I could give it 4.5 stars if this system allowed for it.

If you are looking into this camera, chances are you are like me: you already own a good compact (in my case, among others, the Canon S90, which has very positive reviews for its fast lens and image quality) but you always wonder if you will take better pictures with a bigger, more serious camera. The lure of the bigger sensor, since it promises better results, especially in low light conditions – all the experts say so, right? Then again, a full-blown DSLR seems too big and bulky, and you wonder if you’ll really take that thing anywhere. Luckily, vendors came out with the micro-4/3s format, which packs a much larger sensor (5 to 9 times larger than a compact camera’s!) into a typically stylish, sleek looking design. Panasonic and Olympus had been offering models that, with lens and all, would set you back around $1,000. A tad too pricey for an experiment. Obviously Olympus set out to truly makes the E-PL1 appeal to the masses with the price point for the E-PL1. I was like, “sure, at least this will not be the most expensive mistake I’ve ever made”.

The camera feels solid. I love its Bauhaus style retro design that supposedly harks back to some very collectible Olympus classic model. Well, I’d never seen one, but I like the looks of the E-PL1. Side by side with its more expensive micro-4/3 competitors (in house from Olympus and the Panasonic) the E-PL1 seems more plasticky and lighter. But compared to a compact it feels like the proverbial metal brick. I picked the silver one (it’s also offered in other colors, make sure to pick the one you like so you don’t regret it later).

The package is the usual fare – charger for the battery, battery, camera body, the 14-42mm lens, and a few convenient covers for lens openings. Also included a USB cable. A proprietary one, of course, it annoys me that vendors keep doing it, there is absolutely no reason why Olympus should not have used a standard USB cable format. Also a cable to attach the Olympus to your TV. Finally, the usual software package (I own Photoshop, so I do not install the vendors’ packaged software) as well as a suitably thick instruction book. Which I will make a point of reading thoroughly, probably more than once. Needless to say, no SDHC card included, and a fast one is recommended. Especially if you shoot RAW (which I admit I just do for 5% of my shots, if that).

The feature set is very impressive, and I shall not bore you cutting and pasting the many modes etc from other places. Everything you’d expect is there: full auto (come on, we don’t but a camera like this to leave it in full auto, do we?), P mode (programmable auto, which is what I typically use on the Canon S90 for point and shoot), and aperture and shutter priority. See a list of the specs here (Olympus site, Amazon cuts off links).

But one set is something new and needs to be pointed out – the Art Filter. Very cool for playing around, I immediately played with the Soft Focus and the Diorama mode, very fun effects and very well done. Of course it’s stuff you could do in Photoshop later with any picture, but it’s also great to have the ability to capture a mood and differentiate your shot in real time. It’s a great idea by Olympus so that people can feel like artistic photographers right away within minutes of buying the E-PL1.

The sensor in the camera’s body is large, you can take a good look at it when you take the lens off. Which also means it is exposed, so be very aware you need to protect it like your own eye. Talking about the included kit lens, the 14-42mm needs to be multiplied by 2 to arrive at the equivalent 28-84mm range. Which means it is fairly wide at the low range, but a 3x zoom may be very limiting to those used to their 5x and higher in compacts, especially since it starts at 28mm. Focus enthusiasts should mentally factor in the $ for a more powerful lens. As well as its potential size.

First impressions: it starts up very fast, an SLR advantage in general. Ready to shoot right away. Of course, first you must have removed the hood lens and perhaps unlock the lens if you had collapsed it for easier transportation (most pictures you see of the 14-42 lens are in the collapsed compact position – it’s quite a bit larger when you take pictures. That makes the speed advantage against a compact more relative. The E-PL1 also focuses and does it’s scene evaluation faster than a compact. Not immediately as some larger SLRs, but quite quickly. Since it doesn’t have an assisted AF beam, it remains to see how it performs in low light. But the camera’s speed seems very good. The LCD is 2.7 inches, meaning it’s smaller than the one on my 3 year old Canon G9, but it is a very nice one. And it better be, since you don’t have an optical viewfinder (which I admittedly never use on my cameras which offer it).

I know what you are thinking – “Stop telling me the obvious, tell me how it compares against that Canon S90 you also claim to have!”. Ok, impatient reader, I have a gallery for you:

[...] [again, Amazon does not allow external links, sorry]

A very important caveat as you look at these shots: I know how to use the Canon S90 and have it set up so it performs in ways I like. But as you can see, that is within limits, and while I could have further optimized the results… I decided not to, because for obvious reasons I do not yet know how to truly go about exploiting the E-PL1′s capabilities, which I am sure reach significantly further than these shots reveal. Up to now, I have taken exactly a dozen shots with the E-PL1, so I would suggest you do like me, and take the shots as very inconclusive. The *one* thing that matters is that depth of field shot: the S90 is lauded for having the ability to create depth of field effects, as the f2.0 lens suggests, and as you can tell from that shot, great for a compact camera and all. The Olympus lens spec does not get anywhere near f2.0 because it doesn’t have to – the lens and sensors are much bigger, and thus far more light makes it in anyhow. Check it out – the depth of field is much better defined on the E-PL1, it blows the S90 easily away in all aspects of that shot. But I have to admit I was a bit surprised the bigger dynamic range of the bigger sensor wasn’t more visible in the contrast rich shots.

But I think one thing you should take away from this is that you probably should not expect to see a *huge* difference in everyday shots between a good compact like the S90, and a camera like the E-PL1 – or a $5,000 full blown DSLR kit, for that matter. What you do get is more flexibility and creative control – not necessarily far more detail and what not, not for your average snapshot. If you like to take difficult shots, different matter. So make sure you buy a camera for the right reasons.

I for one know I am going to like taking pictures with the E-PL1 a lot. I also am already considering buying other lenses, and have already ordered the external flash (the E-PL1 does include a pop-up flash, but it’s small and as such probably limited). There it is, the trap of the modular kit – the camera price is just for admission. As I consider lenses, I find myself wondering whether to go for specifically built micro-4/3 lenses, or more generic 4/3… hmmm. If you buy this camera and start buying lenses (there isn’t a lot of choice in lenses built specially for this camera, but supposedly a few are coming), you’ll have to do the same, and I shall be interested in your thoughts.

The final question you may ask me is “hey you say you like it, why only 4.5 stars?” – like I said, I think it’s 4.5 stars, very good. I may update that once I learn to further optimize results and they start to blow me away, which hasn’t been the case yet. Probably it was a bit much to expect to be blown away by the difference without having learned the camera more.

PS on 3/20/10… a few weeks into ownership, I *LOVE* this camera and it entirely and totally deserves 5 stars. I changed the default settings, and now to my eye and the eye of people that look at the pictures results are fantastic. I am able to chose utterly sharp or utterly artistic pictures, and the quality of them right away out of the camera is fantastic. I ove the freedom it gives me in lower light situations – it will not challenge a top range Nikon, but it is amazing and far more portable.

I am *VERY* happy with this purchase, and have already bought several lenses to expand on my toolset.

Amazing little camera. I am a huge fan!

These are my preliminary impressions for the E-PL1. I hope to soon read others’ too!
Written by V. Ariel about 2 years ago.

Review by V. Ariel for Olympus PEN E-PL1 12.3MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Black)
Rating:
I was looking to replace the trusted Fuji-F31FD point-and-shoot, which was getting a bit old after 3 years of heavy use. My other camera is Canon 450D DSLR, which is most often used with Canon L EF 24mm 1.4 lens.

I became intrigued by micro 4/3 standard and checked reviews for the latest offerings by Panasonic and Olympus with the following priorities in mind:

1. Picture quality (both JPEG and RAW)

2. Size

3. Price

4. Ease of use

5. HD video

I did not care for a super-quick AF since will continue using Canon for sports pictures. Built quality is not as critical since I do not expect the camera to last more than 5 years anyway. In the end, I bought Olympus EPL1 with the kit 14-42mm lens and an additional Panasonic 20mm 1.7 pancake lens.

I find the initial results truly amazing:

1. Picture quality with Panasonic lens is much better than expected. In many cases, IQ is better than my Canon DSLR. Panasonic lens is incredibly sharp while the Olympus colors are gorgeous (may be a bit over-saturated). Actually, some of my friends are complaining that there is to much detail in their portraits taken with EPL1. Brought the camera to the local pro-photo store and the owner (professional newspaper photographer) could not believe picture quality from EPL1. Panasonic lens is excellent in low-light and Olympus in-body stabilization makes the combination even better.

2. The size is not as small as a regular P&S but comparable to super-zooms. I think it is good for hiking, skiing, city, and restaurant photos (people do not really like a huge DSLR lens pointed at them in a restaurant)

3. The price is good in comparison with the results

4. The camera is very easy to use. It has some learning curve due to many options (more than Canon). I find that AF speed with Panasonic lens is not an issue and the latest Olympus firmware upgrade is supposed to eliminate the problem completely (Update: 24-Apr-10 According to the latest DPReview comparison after the firmware upgrade, Olympus auto-focus with Panasonic lenses is the fastest in the class).

5. HD video is great (though MJPEG with 720P or 1080i and not MPEG4 or H.264 with full HD)

Cons:

1. The screen is relatively low resolution. Still the displayed image is clear and in my opinion better than Canon 450D.

2. I do not care much for the included IB software, prefer using Lightroom3 Beta2 instead.

Since the camera is new, it is a bit difficult to find the right accessories. After some shopping on the internet and in a local photo-store, I added the following:

1. A couple of MaximalPower replacement batteries

2. Transcend 16 GB Class 6 SDHC Flash Memory Card

3. B&W 46mm Sky filter and Hoya 46mm multi-coated UV filter (for Panasonic lens)

4. Opteka Professional Wrist Grip Strap

5. Tamrac 5693 camera bag with belt loop. Perfectly fits the camera with either kit lens or the 20mm pancake with an extra pocket for spare battery and filter (but not much more).

6. Lens cap keeper

In short, I really enjoy the camera and with the accessories it is a nearly perfect solution for my needs

PS 17-Apr-10

After about a thousand pictures and one hiking trip:

1. Pictures are still amazing, both JPEG and RAW. I noticed that the camera encourages me to take more creative shots

2. Great improvement in camera size over 450D particularly for hiking

3. A wheel would be useful for quick aperture changes during hiking trips

4. A non-standard USB cord is a nuisance

Finally, I think EPL1 is a great little camera, may need to upgrade my 450D though