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EP-1 + 17mm pancake, disappointed with image quality

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travelfan

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I have to say after hearing about the EP-1, I was extremely excited as it was to be the ideal travel camera for me along with the 17mm pancake lens.

However, after seeing some full size samples using the 17mm pancake lens, the image quality looks almost the same as that from a P&S!

http://fourthirds-user.com/2009/06/olympus_pen_ep1_sample_images_to_download.php

The samples using the 12-60mm SWD is significantly higher and pretty much competes directly with DSLR image quality. Of course, it's also significantly bigger which kind of defeats the purpose.

The 14-42mm strikes a middle ground, still not the quality of your average DSLR optics, but much better than the 17mm pancake at least.

I'd say the contrast, sharpness, and colour of the 17mm pancake is even worse than some P&S cameras. And they don't even have any wide-open samples out!

I guess I was expecting too much from this little fella.
 
Based on your few posts, seems like you're a little too eager to condemn. For example, your first post opened up with saying that Lightroom is horrible when apparently didn't know how to use it.

So yup, you'll be miserable with the E-P1. Or really anything else. So thank you for letting us know.
 
I would say that I am very happy with my E-P1 a solid performer. I have been shooting for over 35yrs and have seen most of everything. The E-P1 is a landmark camera, others will follow...



--
Julio
 
I'm not sure which of those images look like a point and shoot to you, they don't to me. If you can get a p&s with that image quality you should buy it.
 
chuckielpn said:
Based on your few posts, seems like you're a little too eager to condemn. For example, your first post opened up with saying that Lightroom is horrible when apparently didn't know how to use it.

So yup, you'll be miserable with the E-P1. Or really anything else. So thank you for letting us know.
Click to expand...
Actually, if you read the thread and weren't so eager to complain, you'd see I was asking how to fix it. But thank you for your wonderful contribution to the thread, instead of providing any commentary on the E-P1 or any other samples to look at.
 
julio13 said:
I would say that I am very happy with my E-P1 a solid performer. I have been shooting for over 35yrs and have seen most of everything. The E-P1 is a landmark camera, others will follow...

--
Julio
Click to expand...
Oh, I agree. I probably will still buy one, but I'm hoping they come out with better Pancake optics. Unfortunately, the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 plans seem to have completely vanished.
 
After having shot several hundred photos over the course of 3 days I'd say the 14-42mm lens more than holds its own. But that's just me talking from experience :)

The E-P1 is not a D700 or Canon 5D II, its something far better in some ways. A high quality camera that I can carry all day in a mall without making anyone thing I'm some sort of geeky stalker :)

Here's an ISO 1000 shot from today's walk about. Wide open (f/3.5) with the 14-42mm.


travelfan said:
I have to say after hearing about the EP-1, I was extremely excited as it was to be the ideal travel camera for me along with the 17mm pancake lens.

However, after seeing some full size samples using the 17mm pancake lens, the image quality looks almost the same as that from a P&S!

http://fourthirds-user.com/2009/06/olympus_pen_ep1_sample_images_to_download.php

The samples using the 12-60mm SWD is significantly higher and pretty much competes directly with DSLR image quality. Of course, it's also significantly bigger which kind of defeats the purpose.

The 14-42mm strikes a middle ground, still not the quality of your average DSLR optics, but much better than the 17mm pancake at least.

I'd say the contrast, sharpness, and colour of the 17mm pancake is even worse than some P&S cameras. And they don't even have any wide-open samples out!

I guess I was expecting too much from this little fella.
Click to expand...
--
Aroundomaha
http://www.aroundomaha.com
http://aroundomaha.smugmug.com
 
It is weird how the E-P1 image were below average for both lenses. ISO 200 were grainy, iso6400 unusable. Yet those picture posted by forumer were good.

Something that I am yet to be convinced good is the tree foliage. Both the reviewer's website pics matches another posting of some photo from Japan. Notice how the foliage edges are overlapping each other. I suspect it has something to do with green processing.
 
These images are far and few between and just wish they would get this lens introduced. The kit lens is slow and I would love to have f2.8 available!

--
Greg Gebhardt in
Jacksonville, Florida
 
Could there be improvements? Sure. But is it as 'bad' as a p&s, I'd disagree with you. To me the EP1 is just like any other tool, simply depends on how you use it, more than sufficient for me needs :)

 
travelfan said:
I have to say after hearing about the EP-1, I was extremely excited as it was to be the ideal travel camera for me along with the 17mm pancake lens.

However, after seeing some full size samples using the 17mm pancake lens, the image quality looks almost the same as that from a P&S!

http://fourthirds-user.com/2009/06/olympus_pen_ep1_sample_images_to_download.php

The samples using the 12-60mm SWD is significantly higher and pretty much competes directly with DSLR image quality. Of course, it's also significantly bigger which kind of defeats the purpose.

The 14-42mm strikes a middle ground, still not the quality of your average DSLR optics, but much better than the 17mm pancake at least.

I'd say the contrast, sharpness, and colour of the 17mm pancake is even worse than some P&S cameras. And they don't even have any wide-open samples out!

I guess I was expecting too much from this little fella.
Click to expand...
I have learned to expect photos taken with lenses that are not the very "Top Grade" lenses (and the 17mm isnt one of those) to need some work done on them before they are "presentable".

Though thwe samples from the 17mm pancake arent exactly overwhelming, they certainly aret the as bad as what comes from a P&S camera... On the other hand, if you know of a P&S camera that CAN shoot to that level of quality, Start selling it, because THOUSANDS of people will be lining up at your door to buy it.

Seriously, a little work with the Chromatic aberation tool in Lightroom, and then add some mid-range contrast in Photoshop, and those 17mm sample shots start to sparkle.

--
Larry In Mystic Connecticut, USA

STRESS RELIEF:

Handle things like a dog does
If you cant eat it
and you cant play with it
Pee on it and walk away.
 
no text
 
They look pretty decent to me.

--
Raist3d (Photographer & Tools/Systems/Gui Games Developer)
Andreas Feininger (1906-1999) 'Photographers — idiots, of which there are
so many — say, “Oh, if only I had a Nikon or a Leica, I could make great
photographs.” That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. It’s
nothing but a matter of seeing, and thinking, and interest. That’s what
makes a good photograph.'
 
Look at it- it's below the first gallery.

You aren't reading :-)

Here:

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/olympusep1/page13.asp

Look at the bottom 2nd set. This has been now over a week there.
travelfan said:
unfortunately, because that is specifically what this thread is about.
Click to expand...
--
Raist3d (Photographer & Tools/Systems/Gui Games Developer)
Andreas Feininger (1906-1999) 'Photographers — idiots, of which there are
so many — say, “Oh, if only I had a Nikon or a Leica, I could make great
photographs.” That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. It’s
nothing but a matter of seeing, and thinking, and interest. That’s what
makes a good photograph.'
 
It's all from here- dpreview:

http://a.img-dpreview.com/gallery/olympusep1_preview2/originals/p6160275.jpg

http://a.img-dpreview.com/gallery/olympusep1_preview2/originals/p6160276.jpg

http://a.img-dpreview.com/gallery/olympusep1_preview2/originals/p6160172.jpg

--
Raist3d (Photographer & Tools/Systems/Gui Games Developer)
Andreas Feininger (1906-1999) 'Photographers — idiots, of which there are
so many — say, “Oh, if only I had a Nikon or a Leica, I could make great
photographs.” That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. It’s
nothing but a matter of seeing, and thinking, and interest. That’s what
makes a good photograph.'
 
Don't like my 17mm either.... Was about to purchase Voigtlander Heliar 4,5/15, but it does not seems to complete so well with ep-1..
--
recycled fkn
 
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