I have been going about the E-P1 since I got it and thought it best I write a mini-review of it. (I will be doing the same with my newer E-P3 at some point.
Firstly I should say that I am a mere amateur. In fact I wouldn't even say that. I am someone who has a basic knowledge of the basics of photography and like to dabble. So for all those pedantic pixel peepers, this is not a review for you.
Looks
The E-P1 in my opinion is a modern design classic, so much so that Olympus haven't drastically changed the look of the two cameras that replaced it - E-P2 or E-P3. I suspect they didn't have too as the first design was so good. It is a very handsome camera and I particularly like the raw aluminium finish and the reassuring weight. It feels just right in the hand and coupled with the pancake 17mm lens makes a surprisingly portable package. It screams premium product and is gorgeous to look at.
Build and handling
Housed in an aluminium case it feels solid and very well built. My E-P1 is getting on bit but all the dials and buttons are still tight. I get the impression that if I continued to use it regularly for a couple of years, things would stay they same. The camera is very easy to hold for extended periods of time and the different functions can be changed swiftly. The mode dial is internal and I prefer it to the dial located on top of the E-P3. The menus are very comprehensive and once you have the hang of them easy and quick to navigate.
Image quality
With just over 12 megapixels the files the camera produces are very good. Low light performance isn't as good as its more modern counterpart but if you're a day shooter as apprised to low light, you should be fine. With the 17mm lens you can produce fairly sharp results and a pleasing about of bokeh. There are a number of art filters you can use but some do tend to slow the camera down. I have been very pleased with the results I have obtained so far and certain that I will become even happier once I fully get to grips with it. I mainly shoot buildings or the odd bit of street photography and it seems great for both. The jpegs straight out of the camera are great and even though it can shoot in RAW I have tended not to need to use it as I have been so pleased with the jpegs. Autofocus is not as fast as the modern competition and not anywhere near as fast as the lightning speed of the E-P3 (which is incredibly fast)!!
Conclusion
Any camera that makes you want to take it with you wherever you go and is a pleasure to use can only be a favourable sign. For me the E- P1 is a great little camera. I used to have a hulking Canon DSLR but rarely took it anywhere as for me it was a hassle to carry around and wasn't very discrete. The Pen line of camera are not exactly something you could put in your trouser pocket (you could but people would be constantly asking mid you were please to see them) but I do tend to take it everywhere.
If you can get well looked after example you won't be disappointed. A good one on eBay with the kit lens might set you back £150 -£180. With the gorgeous 17mm it might be the top end of this price range or a little bit more. Well worth it and I haven't regretted getting one (although I was given it) and love it.
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Friday, 30 March 2012
Bloody Hipster!
Some of you may be aware that I recently bought an Olympus Pen E-P3 and completely love it in every conceivable way. I wanted to compete the smaller package and so bought a 'Pancake' 17mm lens and VF1 optical viewfinder on eBay. To my surprise the seller also included and older Pen E- P1! I contacted them to alert them of their error but was told that I could in fact keep it! I was dumbfounded to say the least but very pleased about it.
Naturally I wanted to test drive my new prize so I headed out with both cameras for a spot of street photography. I took my Raw Lacquer SL2 with me and both cameras. Somehow I ended up somewhere in Bloomsbury and stopped outside one of those hideous coffee establishments where people sit outside talking far too loudly for my liking, all wearing the latest fashions. I mumbled, 'bloody hipsters' to myself.
I parked my Brompton and took out the E-P3 and snapped away. Wanting to compare the two cameras I got out my E-P1 and took a few test shots. I therefore had a camera in each hand. To my horror I heard someone sitting at one of the tables - who had been talking very loudly about a new modern artist he had recently discovered - say the words, 'bloody hipster.' Was he directing this at me?
No. He couldn't be directing that adjective at me! It must be someone else? I looked around and considered in a very Robert De Nero manner whether he was indeed looking at me?! I swiftly came to the conclusion that he was not only looking at me but had directed that comment at me! I was outraged. What a generalisation. It then dawned on my that I had done the very same not two minutes earlier.
With great self control I carried on snapping and when ready packed up said cameras and rode off. Before I did I muttered that I wasn't a bloody hipster and that he should look a mirror. I mean really. What cheek!
Naturally I wanted to test drive my new prize so I headed out with both cameras for a spot of street photography. I took my Raw Lacquer SL2 with me and both cameras. Somehow I ended up somewhere in Bloomsbury and stopped outside one of those hideous coffee establishments where people sit outside talking far too loudly for my liking, all wearing the latest fashions. I mumbled, 'bloody hipsters' to myself.
I parked my Brompton and took out the E-P3 and snapped away. Wanting to compare the two cameras I got out my E-P1 and took a few test shots. I therefore had a camera in each hand. To my horror I heard someone sitting at one of the tables - who had been talking very loudly about a new modern artist he had recently discovered - say the words, 'bloody hipster.' Was he directing this at me?
No. He couldn't be directing that adjective at me! It must be someone else? I looked around and considered in a very Robert De Nero manner whether he was indeed looking at me?! I swiftly came to the conclusion that he was not only looking at me but had directed that comment at me! I was outraged. What a generalisation. It then dawned on my that I had done the very same not two minutes earlier.
With great self control I carried on snapping and when ready packed up said cameras and rode off. Before I did I muttered that I wasn't a bloody hipster and that he should look a mirror. I mean really. What cheek!
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