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Olympus PEN E-P1 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Silver Body/Black Lens)
 
Manufacturer: Olympus
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List Price: $799.99
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Product Description
Designed around a 12.3-megapixel Live MOS imaging sensor, the E-P1 enables pro-quality still and video imaging abilities in a small, unassuming package. The Olympus E-P1 marks the formal introduction of the Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera system in the form of a high-quality, sub-compact digital camera.

Product Details
  • 12.3-megapixel interchangeable lens digital camera; Micro Four Thirds format
  • Includes 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko digital zoom lens
  • In-body Image Stabilization; 3-inch HyperCrystal LCD with Live View function
  • Record HD video with high-quality audio; in-camera creative features (for still images and video)
  • Capture images and video to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)

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Customer Reviews
Small camera, big performance
 
Review Date: July 6, 2009
Reviewer: David J. Elfering, Omaha, NE USA
This past holiday week-end I made the decision not to take my Nikon DSLR with me on a 3 day road trip to Minneapolis. The majority of my time was spent wandering the Mall of America, and the E-P1 was an absolute delight the entire time.

This little camera makes me smile each time I use it!

If you don't care to word a long, winding review let me summarize it. The E-P1 doesn't have to make any apologies for being petite, its a full fledged camera on its own merit.

Positives
* Great photo quality!
* Built in image stabilization (works pretty well too)
* Customizable and responsive interface/buttons
* HD movie mode with autofocus
* Low profile, doesn't get you noticed
* Quiet. I'd say quieter than my old rangefinders and way more quiet than my DSLR's

Could be better
* Battery life
* Perhaps almost too customizable (pretty good learning curve). Keep the manual handy!

I'm not a people shooter and certainly not a "street" shooter but my week-end was spent at the Mall of America, which is enormous but all in doors. It was an interesting challenge. I found that although I fumbled with the interface and settings a bit, it became very engrossing and almost mesmerizing to shoot publicly with the E-P1. It never drew attention, not once, where as I saw people clearing out from the obvious DSLR guys like fish around a barracuda in the reef.

Lens: My only lens is the 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, which doesn't sound too exciting. However in practice it has been a great general utility lens that has rendered quite nicely, showing nice resolution and sharpness. I can only anticipate what the E-P1 will do with a quality, wide aperture prime. I'm up in the air about my next move, but the 50mm f/2 sure looks tempting. But then again it would be great to try OM mount too! Arg....

Auto-Focus: I've read some questions about the auto-focus performance of this camera, but in normal operation haven't see an issue yet. Granted I haven't tried to shoot a basketball game or dance recital yet so take this with a grain of salt. For my people shooting in the mall the AF performance has been wonderful and spot on. When I've gone to outdoor settings or even just trying to snap something quick from my car, I've found that the autofocus is quite a ways behind my D90. I think it is real world quick, but it is probably a step slower to focus than any DSLR on the market. Not saying that's a bad thing, some worth knowing.

Sensor: The sharpness I see from this camera is well beyond what I expected, so there may be something to the talk that Olympus removed the strong anti-alias filtering most DSLR's are plagued with. The jpg results thus far haven't required any post process sharpening and the Olympus color engine is a breath of fresh air in my opinion.

Handling: Coming form a DSLR will make you take a little time to get used to the difference. Getting used to shooting with a LiveView display will also take some getting used to. There isn't a front/rear two wheel control system as I'm used to with the D90, but there are two primary controls for manual shooting and they can both be worked while shooting one handed. Very nice design! The buttons and functions are all fully customizable but expect to be nestled up with the manual a wee bit to do it. All in all composing from the LiveView LCD became very natural and fluid after a day. High marks to Olympus in designing such a usable system. The only thing I still have to figure out is a button to disable auto-focus so I can go fully manual.

Results: The bottom line to any camera is what it can produce. The E-P1 is not a D700, A900 or 5DII. Those are different kinds of cameras that excel at higher ISO and extreme resolutions. What the E-P1 is to me is a system capable of going toe-to-toe with any DX sensor system on the market in terms of deliverable results. No it doesn't shoot 8 frames per second. Again not that kind of camera.

This is a practical camera whose size and form factor make it usable in places that larger cameras wouldn't work as well or possibly not at all. I'm seeing very detailed and sharp results up to ISO 1,250. After years of shooting 35mm, DSLR and even large format I'd have to say this is the most fun I've had with any camera I've owned. Its a camera guy's camera that the beginner can use as well.
Exceptional out-of-the-box performance, great camera.
 
Review Date: July 9, 2009
Reviewer: J. Davies, portland oregon
I had been considering replacing my Leica d-lux 3 with the d-lux 4 when the EP-1 news came out. I immediately sold the d-lux 3 and ordered my EP-1. It is a little larger than I was hoping, but out of the box, the first results were incredible, RAW format on a par with my nikon d-90 RAW, requiring very little post-production. Feels good in the hand, responsive and fast auto-focus and much more satisfying to use than the leica - which I loved. Initial results in RAW much better than the leica, which was always just a little noisy.

This is a top notch camera, that I hope will continue to deliver results. The only current drawback for me is that photoshop CS4 doesn't recognizethe Olympus Raw Format (ORF). I have to go through Olympus software to convert, which severely disrupts my work flow, and the software is slow and clunky. Shooting JPGs alongside Raw in case I need the results faster.

If they get the plugin updated soon, I'll be over the moon.

Very happy with this purchase.
If I went to heaven... this would be what I would shoot with.
 
Review Date: July 12, 2009
Reviewer: Smiley Boy,
Yes, this would be the camera I would use to take photos of heaven.

I have had this camera for just over a week now and it is perfect for me - it just has the ideal balance of size, weight, features without sacrificing in DSLR standard IQ quality. If fact, it beats the IQ of my three previous DSLRs!!! (Canon Rebel XT, Olympus E-420 and E-620). I have heard from real users that the high-ISO comes close to the excellent Nikon D90).

The design and build-quality is stunning. When you hold it in your hands you just cannot help but admire it from all angles - it is a beauty! The ergonomics, although having that quality dense feel, is comfortable to hold even with one hand. Combined with the *really does work* IS and you can try a new-style of spontaneous shooting with one just hand (try doing that with a DSLR!).

Image quality is superb - sharp and with good colour. Olympus in-camera jpeg-engine is noted for being one of the best on the market for DSLRs. The sensor is the best from any Olympus camera to date. Although I think much of this is down to the latest Truepic V processor.

AF is similar speed to compact cameras. It is slower than the AF of the Panasonic G1/GH1 series, but much faster than the LiveView of current Olympus DSLRs. Speed will also improve with faster lenses. For me, it is nippy and is fast enough for me. If you want to take fast action shots or fast children, then you probably would be better off buying a DSLR. At least give it a try to find out if it suits your photographic style.

I have not missed the E-P1 in having no flash at all. I prefer more natural looking photos without flash and this camera is very good with shooting at ISO 1600. Even ISO 3200 in rare cases. Usually I would keep to ISO 400, but would not hesitate to shoot higher now.

Movie mode seems good (with HD and SD sizes), but have not explored that much yet. The audio sounds great! I have heard that Olympus has used their latest dictaphone technology in this, and you can tell. I think IS needs to be turned off though during movie mode. Also, it is great that it can take SD cards - they are so cheap.

LCD is large and bright, and refresh update is fast. Even though it is not as high-resolution as other cameras, I think it functions very well. Some have mentioned of low-battery life. I have not experienced that at all. Never during a day's worth of shooting have I run out of battery. There is a dedicated button that you can assign to switch off the LCD when not in use, but the camera is on standby-by and activates again by pressing any button. With this method and switching it off when not in use, you can save valuable battery life. It is just a matter of being prudent when using it.

Overall, this camera is a game-changer. By being able to carry it wherever, whenever, my photographic experience is taken to a new-level. Knowing I have a camera with DSLR IQ in my bag all the time without the bulk is a great feeling of freedom.

I would place my bets that this *gem* of a camera will win many design awards and, dare I predict, be crowned `Camera of the Year'.
Finally, great IQ in a small package
 
Review Date: August 21, 2009
Reviewer: operabuff, Bronx, NY USA
I own a couple of high end DSLR's (Canon) with L glass but have always preferred to travel with small, light gear. I have Panny , 2 Richos, plus Fuji. And as much as I have liked aspects of these cameras, bottom line is I've always been disappointed with the final output as compared to the DSLR's. Bought the EP-1 on a whim just before a vacation - I had thought of waiting to see what Panasonic would bring out since I was concerned about the lack of viewfinder and the universally acknowledged slow focus. I couldn't be happier. The focus is not any slower than my other compacts. Yes, I would prefer a viewfinder. But everything else about this camera is fantastic. I was very pleasantly surprised about the the kit zoom - it's really quite good. This camera is just plain fun to use. IQ is really great - better than anything small out there. It's not tiny but for me it handles better than the pocket cameras. I am now an Oly convert! I just ordered an adaptor to use all sorts of lenses I accumulated during my film days. And they are going to be image stabilized!
Excellent and superb!
 
Review Date: August 22, 2009
Reviewer: P Roberts, Bay Area, CA
This camera is just fantastic, a little beauty. Amazing, excellent, really fun. Superb optics, great feel, cute and portable. I was getting bored with my Nikon D-80, ready for a move up. Considered getting the D-90, but then the Pentax K-7 was released with HDR built-in. Wanted t get back to Olympus, and considered the E-30, and the 620, but I left my decision for so long that the PEN was released. Glad I waited. The PEN is so much fun, its great to have a new toy. The price is just right for an everyday camera, and is size is so much better compared to carefully backpacking around a big d-SLR.

And the results .... the pics are superb! Just amazing. Face detection works like a charm. The video is stunning, just brilliant. The shutter is so quick, really responsive, no lag time. The art scenes are so fun to use. Funny little shutter noise. And I still haven't take it off Auto yet! Nice to have some fun exploring.