New E-1 Owner

So I just happened to swing by the local camera store today (National Camera Exchange, which is a strange name for a chain that I think is only located in Minnesota), looking to check out the new E-620, but instead, found a used E-1 for sale. I handled it for a little bit, and checked out the # of shutter actuations it had, and it had just over 3000 (which is much less than the 10036 my E-510 has). There were no damage codes logged, and the body didn't have any scratches, or any noticeable damage to the outside. With it, came the camera strap, battery, and charger.

Needless to say, I decided to take the plunge, and picked it up for $229 + tax. I'm thinking I got a pretty good deal on it.

In any case, is there anything particular I should be aware of with the E-1? Or with buying a used camera body? This is my first time doing so, so I appreciate any advice for things to look out for, as I have 30 days to return it, should I find something wrong with it.

I trust the advice of the wise users in this forum, as this is what convinced me to get the E-510 over a year ago, and I haven't looked back since!

Thanks!

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Justin
Eagan, MN

3000 clicks...you just bought a Mercedes with 1500 miles on it. There isn't too much to know, just enjoy this great camera.

Depending on your attitude towards noise you may not want to push the ISO past 400, keep it below that and you should be very pleased.

-Jeff

Sounds like you got a good deal on a great camera, enjoy!
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Jack Sutton

Enoy, I loved mine so much I bought a second. I highly recommend the SHLD-2 and hand-grip. A quick search will get you settings and a visit to Wrotniak's site for a few tips. Several people wrote here that they shot with the 510 and then got an E-1 and were very impressed.
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Cheers,
Snowbird_UT

Thanks for the tip! I'm a sucker for a good deal, so when I saw it, I couldn't pass it up!
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Justin
Eagan, MN

I'm not a thief, but I like to take pictures.

Don't tell my dad though! When it comes to cars, he tells me to always buy American!
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Justin
Eagan, MN

I'm not a thief, but I like to take pictures.

Remember to check that the firmware is updated...

the original firmware had some problems, but they were fixed quite soon.
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Andrew

If you shoot raw, you can get really nice high iso images. Here is 1600 iso with no noise reduction at all.



If you shoot jpg at high iso, turn the sharpening right down because the old algorithms seem to find and sharpen noise to an extraordinary extent.

The colour of the E1 is fantastic. Try Cm2 for saturated landscapes and cs2 for people. If you're shooting people its best to turn the contrast down to -1 because otherwise people's complexion can come out a little red.

If you shoot the sun, keep the contrast at "0" in order to prevent any digital weirdnesses at the edge of the sun.

The best way to learn the E1 is to shoot RAW and then play with all the settings in Studio (you can get a free trial for 30 days) until you get what you like.

By the way, Studio also has "auto gradation" available for the E1 which is exactly the same function that the newer cameras have.

The E1 shoots on the low side of exposure to save all the highlights. Easily recoverable in post but if you're shooting straight to jpg sometimes it might help if you raise the ev by 1/3 of a stop.

The E1 is on of the most reliable and predictable cameras I have ever shot. After a year with it, I never needed to look at the image on the LCD because I new exactly what I got once I pulled the trigger.

It's a lovely piece of engineering.

Hope this helps.

Tim

Just enjoy that great purchase. Incredible price. That's why I keep using mine. Great camera and it's value is almost zero. So why sell.

You'll love it.

António
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/91908602@N00/

use mine since 5 years (nowadays only occasionally).
ISO800 is still pretty usable for an 'obsolete' cam:
E-1 1/80s f/5.0 ISO800 ED50-200@200mm (35mm eq:400mm)
full view, quick'n dirty processed from RAW, downsized 600x800px
no sharpening, no denoising



actual pixel (100%) crop



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regards
michael

sorry for bad english
http://www.flickr.com/photos/91624034@N00
http://miclart.deviantart.com/gallery/

your not as good as your gear makes you...
your gear is as good as you make it.

good advice, thanks.
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'Photos are what remain when the memories are forgotten' - Angular Mo.