Olympus E-P1 Micro Four Thirds Preview

[RidingMad125]

Prolonging it to making it as exciting as possible..... who here skipped forward?

[PhotographyREVIEW]

@RidingMad125 Yeah, if you watch the more recent videos you'll see I'm not doing that anymore. It doesn't make much sense anyway since the camera name is in the title :-)

[MrPizzacatoMan]

When he says we don't know what it is at the beginning. WE DO - It says what it is in the title!!

Although it is a good preview

[PhotographyREVIEW]

@MrPizzacatoMan True. I wanted to be able to surprise people with these videos but I found it's just not possible. So you won't be seeing me try to surprise you in the future. It's still possible that I will be surprised when I open a box, though :-)

[PangeaSpreads]

Which should I buy based on having the better image quality, the EP1 or new EPL1 (I know they have the same sensor etc but they have different image stabilisers)

[khoihq]

how's the photo taken in low light condition without the dedicated flash for EP-1 ?

[PhotographyREVIEW]

Low light quality is much better than a point-and-shoot and not as good as most entry-level DSLRs. So - very good for such a small camera. There are sample images in the gallery on our Web site.

[fritolayketchupchips]

nice review. how is it for close ups? I'm interested in macro type photography but don't want to invest in a huge camera kit.

[pveg65]

Oh SNAP! Its the UNIBOMBER!

[PhotographyREVIEW]

I think you need to look up the unibomber and see his picture again. Also, he hated technology. That was his whole trip.

[brharte]

Dude, I like your "guerrilla" style reviews. Especially the opening. You look like a hostage taker making demands. I'm just sayin'.

Great review!!!

[vichiousfishes]

The founder of Olympus said "making cameras like everybody else is boring."

[dakaraabbccdd]

may i ask mate, between this EP1 and panasonic GF1, which one is a better buy?

[PhotographyREVIEW]

That's a question best discussed on our forums. I think the E-P1 will be better for image quality, styling and feel. The GF1 will have better auto focus perfrormance and it has a built-in flash. Best buy will be a matter of personal choice, though.

[murkom]

Get a real job man!

You try to make 2 minutes a suprise out of box , but funny, we all know, that this will be the new olympus, cos the topic says so.

Also, you show a video option and all you can film, is "still" flower?

Man, get a real job!

[Darkjc86]

Suit up!!

[paolozaninelli]

high five

[joeguito]

i dont see flash in that camera do you have to buy a flash fot the camera because i dot see any flash in it

[PhotographyREVIEW]

Joe-

There's no flash built into the camera. Olympus does sell a small hotshoe flash to go with the camera. I have the flash and it works fine, although it will cost more money and it adds to the size of the camera. On the other hand, most of the time I don't use the flash because the high ISO performance is pretty good. Shooting at ISO 800 with the E-P1 is just fine.

[legostarwarsfreek999]

we just bought one. AWESOME!!!

[PhotographyREVIEW]

Excellent - I hope you really like it. I'm still using it and still happy with it. It's definitely not an action camera. But for walkaround photos where speed isn't a requirement, I think it's very nice.

[PhotographyREVIEW]

mrosenmeier-

Yeah it is a little ridiculous. Call it a flaw in the system. I have to put a name on the video when I upload it so people know what it is - and more importantly, so Google knows what it is. I always forget about that when I'm making the videos. I suppose I should just dispense with the sabotaged suspense. Anyway, I'm not dumb and I see the problem. It's mostly search engine strategy that forces that aborted suprise. Glad you liked it, though :-)

[mrosenmeier]

what's the point of practically 2 minutes of suspense when you have the name of the camera as the title of the video and in your description?? Otherwise, pretty good review.

[donepearce]

What do you mean by "totally"? Is there a partial option?

[ZcoreyZ]

I wish i could get one.

[vikefan57]

He said don't try this at home when he was cutting the box!

[custard19]

urgh... it's expensive.....

[paulusandronicus]

SOLD! I want one!!!!!

[BBnose]

feel disappointed while i knew the body cast made of full plastic :-(

[PhotographyREVIEW]

The body is not made of plastic. The top and bottom plates are aluminum and the main body is made of stainless steel.

[macmtl]

Take the plates off, the body is made of plastic. It's been shown on at least one forum.

[siminona]

So what fully metal camera are you using? ;)

[PhotographyREVIEW]

Hmmm - that may be. Why don't you give us a link. And to be honest, I'm not really concerned if there's a plastic chassis ebhind the metal exterior. The camera feels great and plastic has proven to be a great construction material for cameras over the past 10+ years. I abuse my cameras more than most and I haven't had a camera body fail yet because it was made of plastic. I've even dropped a Canon XTi out of a cab onto the pavement and it was fine. Plastic is ok with me.

[macmtl]

Sure,

photorumors(dooot)com/2009/06/­17/the-guts-of-the-m43-olympus­-e-p1/

[shadowblack1987]

lol

[siminona]

Where? I would love to get it for that much. :) But it looks like the bids are pushing it past that. Plus it's from Japan and the shipping alone is almost $50.

[TabletAether]

Thanks for the preview - looks like a great camera. I only wish they'd made it cheaper, even if that meant worse looks...

[k6k6k6Darkie]

Will you be able to use the zoom on a lense while shooting HD Video?

[robbret]

Come on please, who gives a **** about a nerd opening a box ?

[PhotographyREVIEW]

There's a lot more to the video than just me opening the box. And if you look at the view count, looks like about 20,000 people cared :-P

[asjeot]

I care, 'nerd opening a box'... I care

[siminona]

You said "video is manual focus only," but I've read that the E-P1 can do continuous auto focus while shooting video.

[PhotographyREVIEW]

siminona-

Oh man. I can't fix that in the video. And yeah, I was wrong. Sorry about that. That's been corrected and more detail has been added about focusing in video mode on the article on the site.

[cougarwolfhawk]

fuck mannn, i deffinitly want this shit man

[mehwolfy]

Looks like a good camera for travel! I like the focus assist.

-M

[ar4216]

How does the video and audio of this camera compare to the GH1?

[maximilianyuen]

I read from forum that give no source but saying that the video file max size is 2G, making it the max time for video in best quality about....8mins.....

[siminona]

The HD quality is going to be similar, but the GH1 was really optimized for video, including the kit lens which will be almost silent while zooming. You can even use an external mic with the GH1. And like maximilianyuen said, on the E-P1 you'll be limited to 7-8 min per scene. But if I had to choose one, I would pick the E-P1 for the beautiful looks, great stills, and much lower price.

[ar4216]

Thanks for the response. Yeah, I love the looks of the E-P1. Just wish it was more capable as far as video. But like you said, it is much cheaper. Now if Panasonic or Olympus would make a cam with the style of the E-P1 and the video capability of the GH1.

[siminona]

Unless you plan to use the E-P1 for professional videography, I think you'll be quite pleased with its capabilities. It's great that, like the GH1, you can control that aperture while filming. So you will be able to control the depth of field. Plus Olympus is known for their high quality lenses. One advantage the E-P1 has over Panasonic is that almost all Olympus 4/3 lenses will be able to autofocus with the E-P1. With the GH1, you'll have to manual focus with 4/3 lenses that don't support CDAF.

[lexam55]

ugly..camera looks like antique...

[maximilianyuen]

for the very same reason I think it's just elegant lol

thought I would not buy it for the reason other than the appearence

[PhotographyREVIEW]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think it's pretty sexy.

[Video27]

Will it take the lenses from the original Pen FT?

If not, is there an adapter?

[PhotographyREVIEW]

That is a good question and I'm not sure. There is an OM lens adapter, but I haven't heard any mention of a Pen lens adapater.

[lsmith1981]

I have a LX2, I Love it..Im Looking into the Ricoh GX200, LX3 or This Olympus Goodness..But i am a LX2 fanboy tho...

[PhotographyREVIEW]

The Olympus E-P1 has a much bigger sensor than any of the cameras you mentioned and for that reason it will have superior image quality. The LX2 is definitely a sweet camera. But if it's image quality you want, you have to go with a bigger sensor.

[tortwig1234]

gasp...

[dearmyjane]

it is my target

[BBnose]

Very Nice!

I hope it would have an adapter for manual Leica M lenses.

[PhotographyREVIEW]

There are already adapters available for the M-Mount.

[he214ab]

good review

[chowmonkey2002]

Yep, will for sure buy one. Running around with my 5D and heavy lenses is cool but I really need a P&S witch makes dslr quality pics.. Lumix LX2 which I had before just wasn't enough and the stories on the DP1 or DP2 don't make me too happy also.

[slamblot]

My dream come true! Sylvain

[Ajaredic]

I need something to carry along everywhere since my Nikon gear is way too heavy for everyday so this might be it!

[kenneth61]

I was thinking to by Leicas D-Lux4 or Sigma DP2, but i think this vill be my next because I have some old OM-lenses and it will be an adapter for that. Hope it not fall down in reviews.

[Julian0o]

Nice

[F6CSW58]

I want one!!!