Olympus E-1

Opinion: I like to keep my pictures as natural as possible "out of camera". Photography is not new to me, I used to shoot a lot slides many years back. The reason I bought the E-1 comes from my experience with my first digital camera, the Minolta Dimage 7hi. The 7hi experience was a pleasant one, I got some excellent photos from it. But as with many pro-sumer cameras, I had to be alerted about exposure in order not to have blown out highlights. It was prone to over exposure, especially in a contrasty environment. Offcourse it was possible to correct such thing in post-processing using image editor (or carefully compose each shot), but I personally don’t like the idea to sit for hours to correct or manipulate images. It takes away the fun for me.

I wanted a robust DSLR camera so I naturally did an extensive research on all the major brands, canon, Nikon, sigma etc before committing my self to the purchase. The E-1 became my first choice after having handled, tested and compared all the qualities between the different cameras (image and body wise).

My first experience with the Olympus E-1 is very positive. The colour is the best I seen so far coming straight out of the camera. The metering and the external white balance sensor on the camera are spot on. I can leave the camera on program mode along with all settings on auto virtually all the time, and it will produce excellent results. It has such a good dynamic range that I rarely have problem with blown highlights. Therefore it is possible to use many of the photos “straight out of the camera”. I find the focus is also fast and ALWAYS accurate. It will never confirm focus unless it has a lock. In a very lowlight situation lacking contrast details, it can do some “seeking” before locking on to the subject, but once locked the image is sharp. In daylight the focus is super fast. It is possible to use images up to 800 ISO without problem (see some of my photos). At 1600 ISO noise is apparent but so is the case in all cameras at this ISO level. At 3200 ISO, the images are too noisy so I don’t use that mode at all. I use neat image to clean the images at 1600 ISO level. I also like the ergonomics layout and the fact its weather sealed. What I would like to see improved are just minor, such as direct histogram view when viewing images (now you push two buttons) and ISO settings directly on the display (instead of pushing iso button). I find my self often forgetting to change the iso from the last time but that’s just me.

Take a CF card with to a dealer that has all the major DSLR brands, play with each one of them (I stayed almost half a day in the store). Compare image quality from your card, it makes all the difference when deciding.

Remember that lens is half the image quality, the zuiko lenses are measured up to the same quality as the best lenses from canon or Nikon. From that perspective the camera + lens is actually cheap.

If you are like me and enjoys “keepers” photos straight out of the camera, then I absolutely recommend the E-1.

regards
hvh

www.pbase.com/hordur

Opinion: This camera, and Olympus in general, gets either bashed or ignored in reviews. What's up with that? This is a first rate system. Light, fast operating, "Film like" images. No dust on sensor, no water in camera, rugged.

I can go on assignment with a macro, flash, and 28-560mm equivalent focal lenght in a "MiniTrekker" bag.

Opinion: All I can say is WOW! This camera is a joy to use and the images are of fantastic quality. Even high ISO images, while noisy, look alot like film (grain).

Opinion: The Olympus E-1 is my 3rd dSLR, having previously owned the Canon EOS-10D and EOS-1D as well as a SONY F-717. I recommend the E-1 for two main reasons. First, when combined with its lenses, it is smaller, lighter and less expensive than any other dSLR. And secondly, due to the accuracy of its exposure metering and Auto White Balance, the E-1 can produce images which are usable straight out of the camera with little or no post-processing required.

Concerning value, I'll list some of the E-1's features which the Canon 10D for example does not have:

1. The camera body and all lenses are weather-proofed against moisture and dust.

2. Automatic dust removal from the imaging sensor.

3. Large, bright viewfinder with user interchangeable focusing screens.

4. Viewfinder eyepiece shutter, which prevents extraneous light from affecting exposure metering when camera is tripod mounted.

5. Focusing screen is exceptionally well adapted for manual focusing.

6. Spot metering.

7. 1-button Custom White Balance.

8. Internal pixel mapping.

9. White Balance Compensation, enabling adjustment to a pre-set color temperature in very fine increments.

10. Four custom tone curves, including one which is optimized for skin tones.

Unlike most other dSLR cameras, the E-1 doesn't really have a "learning curve" which one must endure to achieve pleasing results. The Auto White Balance is so accurate the camera can be left in that mode almost all the time, including with flash exposures. The camera's Program exposure mode will automatically sense the focal length of the lens, and prevent the shutter speed from falling below what can be hand-held without camera-shake induced blur. The TTL flash metering is so accurate it provides perfect exposures every time, with "point & shoot" simplicity.

The autofocusing of the E-1 seems to be 100% accurate; it will not indicate focus lock unless the subject is really in focus. The red focus assist lamp, which can be switched off, enables the camera to focus in total darkness. The E-1 has better manual focusing capability than any other autofocusing SLR I have used - digital or film.

In summary I think the rich feature set of the Olympus E-1, along with its robust body construction, compact size and light weight, Auto White Balance and TTL flash exposure accuracy, and ease of use make it the most desirable dSLR in its price range and the best value.