Olympus E-P1 "Pen" In Depth Review...

... on DPR:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusep1/

Now that I've had a chance to read it in full, it sure seems like a nice camera but the AF performance is just awful - worse than many cheaper point and shoots. I have seen how good contrast detect AF can be when engineered properly when I test drove a Panasonic GH-1. According to this review, every time you hit the shutter button, the lens must first go to infinity, then back to minimum focus and then creep up on critical focus - those are some poorly written AF algorithms. If they can fix this either through firmware or maybe in the second generation of this camera, I would be very interested.

That my one complaint with Live View on my E-520 E.J. ... sometimes the autofocus is relatively quick, but usually it racks a lot and is very slow (slower than my old Canon S2 IS). I usually just set it to use the autofocus sensor and compose and roughly manually focus just to see what I'm looking at - then the photo is actually autofocused in the usual SLR fashion when the shutter button is pressed. (Not ideal, since it does autofocus on the wrong thing sometimes.) Of course, this isn't an option on the E-P1, so I'm thinking that the autofocus could be pretty annoying. Seems like a really terrific camera other than that, and the somewhat down-market screen.

I have to concede that, if anything, I'm actually more intrigued by this camera after reading the review than I was when I first heard about it, primarily because of my (hypothetical) intended use--a hikeable landscape camera kit.

Last fall I hauled my Tamrac photo backpack on a nine-mile day hike in the UP of Michigan. The backpack contained my pair of D200s; my Nikkor 12-24, 24-120 D, 80-400 VR and 200mm macro lenses; and accessories (filters, cable release, bubble level, etc.). I was also carrying my Gitzo tripod. I honestly didn't know what I was going to shoot, so (naturally) I took everything (and I ended up using every lens except the macro). Yes, I could have chanced it and left one of the camera bodies behind to lighten the load a tad.

The hike wasn't impossible but it wasn't all that much fun either (particularly the uphill part on the return), given the load. It would be even tougher now that I've replaced: one of the D200s with a D700; the 12-24 with the 14-24/2.8; and the 24-120 with a 24-70/2.8. (The 80-400 and the 200/macro remain part of the arsenal. The tripod is unchanged as well.) I slogged this load all over the Pacific Northwest earlier this month--though my longest uninterrupted hike on that trip was probably in the four-mile range--and while it wasn't a deal breaker a substantially lighter load would be most welcome.

This is where, at least in principle, the E-P1 comes in. Between the kit zoom, the 7-14 4/3 lens available and some kind of long telephoto zoom (probably the 50-200 (plus the adapter for the two regulation 4/3 lenses) we're talking about comparable functionality to what I currently at something like 1/5 or 1/6 the weight. By my count, the above would amount to roughly 6 lbs. Add in a small, lightweight tripod (presumably all that would be needed given how light anything perched on it would be in this scenario) and it would make very long hikes eminently doable--maybe actually pleasant--without giving up all that much.

The weak AF system doesn't concern me for this particular type of use--I virtually never use AF anyway. The cheap LCD--that's a definite debit, IMO. But that's the only really weak point given my intended use. I wish the AEB feature was a bit richer; but the IQ sounds very good and the camera accepts a remote release, shoots RAW...

I almost certainly won't do anything about this right now. Putting together what I want would cost something like $4000, and that's just not happening. But I'm absolutely intrigued by the concept and will keep my eyes on developments with this camera and others making up the same format.

Kerry, have you checked out a Panasonic G1 or GH1 with the 14-140 lens - much better AF and everything in one lens.

David Pogue wrote this yesterday in the NYT about this camera;
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/techn ... .html?_r=1

I got one a couple of weeks ago, I ended up selling it . There's a lot I could live with like the lack of flash and lack of viewfinder. The slowness of the kit lens was a deal breaker, the camera became practically useless indoors (the f/2.8 of the 17mm was interesting, but I'd still want something faster). This would easily be fixed with the release of a series of fast pancake primes, so thats what I'm really waiting for (a more complete system).

I'm anxiously awaiting the next iteration of this camera (and more lenses). I don't need flash but I'd like to be able to frame a landscape composition without having to use some sort of shade for the LCD. In other words, I'm looking forward to either an OVF, EVF, or an LCD that can be seen in bright sunlight. More lenses with faster AF would be very nice. I wouldn't want them to be very heavy since this system's raison d'être in my hands would be for landscapes and records of my hikes. I don't want to carry much weight or bulk anymore and the E-P1 comes very close for me this time around. Next time!

Mike Stolting

E.J. Peiker wrote:Kerry, have you checked out a Panasonic G1 or GH1 with the 14-140 lens - much better AF and everything in one lens.

Thanks for the suggestion, E.J. I'll look into this...