Well, I wanted to take my DSLR to Disney (trip next week), but not a whole lot; I want the good shots, but not all the inconvenience. And Mrs Mosca was dead set against it. So it looked like I was going to take the P&S and be happy... and then I had a nice night at the local casino, and instead of plowing my windfall back into their profit, I decided to use it to do some good; I went to Dan's Camera in Allentown, PA, and looked at an Olympus E-P1, and after about 10 minutes of handling it I bought it. I'd originally gone to look at the EP-2, but the price difference and sense of the camera's purpose drove me pretty forcefully to the EP-1.
And I have to say, since mid-May I haven't turned on the Canon7D. Partly it is because I want to have the time invested in making use of the Oly second nature, but it is also because this thing is flat out FUN!
Size:
About the same as the Canon G series. It is longer, but also narrower. Weight is a little less than the G with the 17mm, a little more with the 14-42 zoom. In either case the difference is negligible. It is MUCH smaller and lighter than a 7D with the 17-55; here is a comparison of the 7D and EP-1 with 14-42 lens, the equivalent zoom:
The mu4/3 sensor has a crop factor of 2; the 14-42 lens is comparable to 28-84, the 17mm is essentially a 35mm fixed f/2.8. I don't know about anyone else, but it makes the math easier for me.
Oh; 12.1mp, for those who want to know.
The camera is just a tiny bit too small to wear on a strap around the neck, and just a tiny bit too large to forego the strap altogether; I tried a cheap wrist strap, and that wasn't quite right, either. And it is definitely too small for a Rapid Strap! I've settled on the neck strap, wrapping it around my hand as a wrist strap for the times when wearing it around the neck is inconvenient. Another inconvenience is what to do with the lens caps. I've settled on generally pocketing them, and carrying a Lens Pen.
Controls:
The first thing any DSLR user thinks is: no optical viewfinder, just the LCD screen. That was my hesitation, too. But instead of seeing it as a limitation, it is more accurate to see it as a benefit; the photographer is no longer limited to shooting from his/her eye, but instead is free to move the camera anywhere within arm's length and at any angle to frame the shot. (An optical viewfinder is optional for the EP-1, and an electronic viewfinder for the EP-2; more later.) IMO, especially for Disney World, that is a big deal. Want a parade shot but you're stuck in the back? Camera up! Need a couple more feet to get the right angle, but there's a fence there? Long reach sideways. I did spring for the optical viewfinder, which is calibrated for the 35mm lens. I dunno. I got used to the Live View before it arrived, and now I find the optical finder not as useful. I get more information from Live View!
Set to A, S, or M, adjusting aperture and shutter is intuitive. On A and S, the variable is controlled by the upper wheel; on M, the upper wheel controls aperture and the lower wheel controls shutter speed. (These can be reversed in the setup menu, as can the direction of the wheels.) ISO, WB, EC, are all accessible as a single dedicated control; AE type (center weighted, etc) is two buttons away, as is focus type (face recognition vs. AF point). There are some compromises here, as might be expected for the product/price point. But I found that once I had my preferences set, things were pretty simple. And situationally deviating from (and returning to) them is also pretty simple; nothing important is very far away or deeply buried in menus. One feature I found very useful is a preview that is available on the Live View screen; the EP-1 will show a preview of a scene with different WBs, or ECs. THAT is one nice feature.
Performance:
Absolutely better than a point and shoot, absolutely not going to put DSLRs on the scrap heap; but close enough to DSLR territory to know that the mark isn't that far away. I think it is reasonable to understand that today's DSLR quality will eventually be eclipsed by the mu4/3 standard, but that also DSLR quality will move forward. I think the biggest limitation right now is optics and lenses, combined with price point and sense of purpose of product. That being said, there will be high quality lenses produced for the mu4/3 standard. And almost any lens can be used on the mu4/3 cameras with adapters; many photographers are using their Leica and Summacron and Cosina lenses on their mu4/3 cameras, producing some pretty astounding work. I have a considerable collection of Canon FD lenses, and they mount quite nicely to the EP-1; here is a 50mm f/1.4 (notice how small the camera actually is, compared to the lens):
I took my EP-1 and 17mm f/2.8 lens to Steamtown, and set it to take photos in the 6x6 aspect ratio. I was very pleased with the results:
Greatest performance strength, IMO; color fidelity, and quality of out of camera jpegs. The jpegs from the EP-1 are really outstanding. For most instances, and especially for vacation shots, I don't think I could do better shooting in RAW and spending a couple hours tweaking. I would trust this camera completely for those. And I haven't used the scene specific settings ("artistic" in Oly-speak; portrait, landscape, etc), but some photographers whose work and ability I trust rave about them as well.
Greatest performance weakness, IMO: more perspective distortion that I'm used to. I don't think it will be noticeable in most situations, but this isn't the camera I'd choose for architectural work! And it can be used for artistic effect. But notice the slight bending of the walkway in this shot:
And how distortion is perhaps closer to the center of the frame than it should be in this shot:
Overall, I'm pretty impressed with this camera, positive purchase bias notwithstanding. It was easy to learn, it is easy to use, and most of all, it "gets out of the way", it makes photography FUN. There's not that sense of seriousness that comes along with a big black camera and long lens. For what I want it for, it is (and will be) exactly right.
And I have to say, since mid-May I haven't turned on the Canon7D. Partly it is because I want to have the time invested in making use of the Oly second nature, but it is also because this thing is flat out FUN!
Size:
About the same as the Canon G series. It is longer, but also narrower. Weight is a little less than the G with the 17mm, a little more with the 14-42 zoom. In either case the difference is negligible. It is MUCH smaller and lighter than a 7D with the 17-55; here is a comparison of the 7D and EP-1 with 14-42 lens, the equivalent zoom:
The mu4/3 sensor has a crop factor of 2; the 14-42 lens is comparable to 28-84, the 17mm is essentially a 35mm fixed f/2.8. I don't know about anyone else, but it makes the math easier for me.
Oh; 12.1mp, for those who want to know.
The camera is just a tiny bit too small to wear on a strap around the neck, and just a tiny bit too large to forego the strap altogether; I tried a cheap wrist strap, and that wasn't quite right, either. And it is definitely too small for a Rapid Strap! I've settled on the neck strap, wrapping it around my hand as a wrist strap for the times when wearing it around the neck is inconvenient. Another inconvenience is what to do with the lens caps. I've settled on generally pocketing them, and carrying a Lens Pen.
Controls:
The first thing any DSLR user thinks is: no optical viewfinder, just the LCD screen. That was my hesitation, too. But instead of seeing it as a limitation, it is more accurate to see it as a benefit; the photographer is no longer limited to shooting from his/her eye, but instead is free to move the camera anywhere within arm's length and at any angle to frame the shot. (An optical viewfinder is optional for the EP-1, and an electronic viewfinder for the EP-2; more later.) IMO, especially for Disney World, that is a big deal. Want a parade shot but you're stuck in the back? Camera up! Need a couple more feet to get the right angle, but there's a fence there? Long reach sideways. I did spring for the optical viewfinder, which is calibrated for the 35mm lens. I dunno. I got used to the Live View before it arrived, and now I find the optical finder not as useful. I get more information from Live View!
Set to A, S, or M, adjusting aperture and shutter is intuitive. On A and S, the variable is controlled by the upper wheel; on M, the upper wheel controls aperture and the lower wheel controls shutter speed. (These can be reversed in the setup menu, as can the direction of the wheels.) ISO, WB, EC, are all accessible as a single dedicated control; AE type (center weighted, etc) is two buttons away, as is focus type (face recognition vs. AF point). There are some compromises here, as might be expected for the product/price point. But I found that once I had my preferences set, things were pretty simple. And situationally deviating from (and returning to) them is also pretty simple; nothing important is very far away or deeply buried in menus. One feature I found very useful is a preview that is available on the Live View screen; the EP-1 will show a preview of a scene with different WBs, or ECs. THAT is one nice feature.
Performance:
Absolutely better than a point and shoot, absolutely not going to put DSLRs on the scrap heap; but close enough to DSLR territory to know that the mark isn't that far away. I think it is reasonable to understand that today's DSLR quality will eventually be eclipsed by the mu4/3 standard, but that also DSLR quality will move forward. I think the biggest limitation right now is optics and lenses, combined with price point and sense of purpose of product. That being said, there will be high quality lenses produced for the mu4/3 standard. And almost any lens can be used on the mu4/3 cameras with adapters; many photographers are using their Leica and Summacron and Cosina lenses on their mu4/3 cameras, producing some pretty astounding work. I have a considerable collection of Canon FD lenses, and they mount quite nicely to the EP-1; here is a 50mm f/1.4 (notice how small the camera actually is, compared to the lens):
I took my EP-1 and 17mm f/2.8 lens to Steamtown, and set it to take photos in the 6x6 aspect ratio. I was very pleased with the results:
Greatest performance strength, IMO; color fidelity, and quality of out of camera jpegs. The jpegs from the EP-1 are really outstanding. For most instances, and especially for vacation shots, I don't think I could do better shooting in RAW and spending a couple hours tweaking. I would trust this camera completely for those. And I haven't used the scene specific settings ("artistic" in Oly-speak; portrait, landscape, etc), but some photographers whose work and ability I trust rave about them as well.
Greatest performance weakness, IMO: more perspective distortion that I'm used to. I don't think it will be noticeable in most situations, but this isn't the camera I'd choose for architectural work! And it can be used for artistic effect. But notice the slight bending of the walkway in this shot:
And how distortion is perhaps closer to the center of the frame than it should be in this shot:
Overall, I'm pretty impressed with this camera, positive purchase bias notwithstanding. It was easy to learn, it is easy to use, and most of all, it "gets out of the way", it makes photography FUN. There's not that sense of seriousness that comes along with a big black camera and long lens. For what I want it for, it is (and will be) exactly right.
The PEN's are definitely on my radar.
