Olympus E-1

Opinion: I own this camera for two years and I really like it. Only 5 megapixell but beautiful colors and three-dimensional and raw files easily workable and printable up to 40x30 cm. It's solid as a tank and has a perfect ergonomics. I am sorry because Olympus has never produced anything like that. It's a magical machine: sometimes I think it has a soul and she call you to make pictures.

Opinion: I bought 12 mega pix from the another brand.to satisfy more pix.Now I learn about pix that is not my point for me.so I go back to my E1 as a workhorse camera as OM 1.I do not care about how big LCD display much,I like old style to take picture.

Opinion: Recently bought this camera second hand.I love it. It feels great to hold and I love the colours that it reproduces. Very difficult to take a bad photo with this camera. A very hardy camera.

Opinion: The most seductive shutter action ever made!

And it can produce stunning images, but it gets a 4 here because the RAWs leave so little headroom in pp, and its noise isn't pleasant...so make sure you get your exposure right.

Still, I had it for a short time and it left me with some of my favourite images...and comes a very close second only to the Canon 1D in matters handling, body and joy-to-use.

5mp is enough, don't worry about that (just don't shoot-to-crop or print massive).

A great second cam to have, or replace it with your modern DSLR if you are feeling uninspired right now.

100% viewfinder view! Very important.

Opinion: I purchased this camera new when Olympus was selling it’s remaining stock a few years ago. Its solid and the weather sealing is very effective: I’ve used it in snow, sleet and rain without any problems. I’ve never had to clean the sensor since it was purchased so the dust reduction system must work well. The images and colours straight out of the camera are fantastic and I love those Zukio lenses. Although a bit dated now I’m still happy to keep using it: the controls are intuitive and it just feels good in the hand. This was my first Olympus camera, when I’m ready to upgrade I’ll be looking for another.

Opinion: Picked up recently having wanted one for years. For the same price as a piece of plastic, it was an absolute bargain.

The build and handling is superb, and the quiet shutter very helpful indoors when you want to be discrete. Feels like taking pictures with a Rolex.

Metering is usually very accurate and colours exceptional. Output requires less PP work than any other camera I have owned (even from RAW).

Of course the camera is hopelessly obsolete and has its challenges - most notably with hesitating to autofocus in poor light, any many will find the rear LCD both tiny and somewhat inaccurate by modern standards. Best to pretty much ignore it other than to check the occasional histogram and carry on shooting!

But it's built like a tank, surprisingly lightweight for all that, and produces the best 5MP images I've ever seen. Easily suitable for viewing on screen or printing at A4. I'm sure images could be up-scaled to A3 without too much problem.

Given focusing and noise performance could be better, and lack of image stabilisation, it's best used with fast lenses - used with glass that's f2.8 or faster, it really shines.

The E-1 is a camera that you will either "get" and want or shake your head at in disbelief. I'm happily in the former camp, and often use it in preference to my newer and supposedly more capable cameras.

Opinion: I own this camera for over 2 years.
Bought it second hand at a time I needed the cheapest heavy duty construction camera with a reasonable image quality.
At the time, my main issue was reliability and weather-proof.
On paper, the Olympus was ideal, but coming from Nikon F3 and F4 cameras, I was afraid because of the “fly by wire” manual focus and the focus speed in low light (but I’m not a reporter and my eyes aren’t accurate for manual focusing…).
I was sold. Is one of those situations were reality is much better than the prediction.
The camera feels solid and “light”.
The viewfinder is very good (at the time it was among the best ones in digital cameras, but far away from the “size” of my old F3).
The image quality is very good, if we don’t go up in the ISO scale. I’ve manage to get some good pictures at 1600 in some particular situations (BW portraits with exposure spot on and external noise reduction), but it’s better so stay bellow 800.

The thing I like most in the camera is that fantastic ability to be simple, yet with everything that is essential in it.
If one whats to twist with all the possible variations, its better to shoot raw and do the rest of the work in the computer.

This is one of the main reasons to still keep using this camera.

Of course, all the new cameras work better, or faster, or have more MP, or…
For the moment, I just don’t care. With those near perfect weather sealed zuiko lenses, at 100 ISO, up to 20x30cm, this camera still produces wonderful results.

Opinion: Having heard so much about this camera I decided to buy one as a back to my E-510. I now use it more than my E-510 because I love the dreamy picture quality so much. I have not seen the type of images that this camera produces in any other DSLR. It is as close to looking like film as you can get.
Yes its old, yes its "only" 5mp and yes it only has 3 focus points but who cares? It takes superb quality images with very natural colour rendition and is a camera you will never want to part with.
On top of all that its built like a tank, weatherproof and a dream to operate.
If you want the latest fastest high ISO shooter then look elsewhere. If you are a photographer who just wants to take beautiful pictures without breaking the bank then grab hold of one of these while you can.
In short, its a photographers camera and not for the spec heads.
It just makes you want to go out and shoot.

Opinion: I have owned my E-510 for about a year.

But having seen many photographs taken with the E-1 camera at DPR, and also having had the opportunity to edit a couple of RAWs from it, I thought this is worth looking into. A friend lent me his, with his 14~54 lens, for a week. I was hooked!

I took shots of some flowers that I have never been able to capture with my other dSLR (E-510) or prosumer Nikon (E5000, in RAW). Another friend's brother had one for sale - I bought it.

The camera reeks of quality at every turn.

Handling the camera, one is immediately impressed with several things. The OVF - 100% view, great; bright, clear. Build quality is just superb, full metal jacket. The E-3 is the same feel, but bigger. A button for everything; and you need to hold it and turn a wheel to change anything ... . A co-ax flash attachment ... Weather/dust sealing that really works.

Metering, AWB and low light focus are all excellent. However, at a distance of about 7m in poor light, my E-510 is very slightly better at AF with the f2/50 macro. The point of focus was the join between two off-white cupboard doors. In every other situation, the E-1 is superior to the E-510, but only just.

Takes the same battery as many other modern Olympus cameras, so not likely to become unusable from this failing.

I have printed images from this camera at A4 size and examined them with a 5x loupe. Sharp as a tack.

I have not regretted the acquisition of this camera for a microsecond. In my opinion, it does some things that no other camera with which I am familiar can do. I refer particularly to its ability to capture subtle nuances and tones of pinks, reds and blues, in particular, but also orange colours. By the time one gets to yellows, the E-510 is as good, as far as I can tell, thusly far (6 weeks).