My new E-P1

Well, after a long decision time I chose my new holiday & travel camera.

I got a great deal, £729 for E-P1, 14-42mm, 17mm, VF1 (a bit useless IMHO but looks super-retro), brown suede olympus retro bag and a FL14 (comes through the post in 3 weeks).

I was only choosing between the Panasonic GF1 and Olympus E-P1. The S90 fell out due to the typical P&S ISO.

I chose the E-P1 simply on IQ. The colours, ISO and dynamic range of the E-P1 are slightly better (as seen from extensive looking at pictures, reading, DXOMARK, etc.). Also the image stabilisation built in and quite frankly the lovely looks!

I was very nervous about the focus, after many comments and reviews, but was pleasantly surprised to find it good enough (I tested in shop). Its similar to the upper end of the P&S range which is all I was expecting. Fine for places and people, not so great for shooting at the racing track (unless you use manual focus like the pros anyway!). Unfortunately the Panny lenses seem to have the upper hand for quality at the moment, but I will wait patiently for the Oly 14-150mm next year (seems silly to have the extra weight of the Panny one when I don't need OIS in the lens).

I have a Nikon D700 and the super sharp 24-70mm f2.8 as my "serious" home camera, so I have a good benchmark. I must say the ISO 1600 is very usable, the first small camera where I can safely use more then ISO 400. Not a million miles from the brilliant Nikon D5000 to be honest.

Anyway, very happy. My advice to those thinking about it, just jump in. You can wait for ever to get future models!

Here are some pics from my first day of tooling around. Nothing special and unedited, just to show what comes straight out of the camera. The last two are really testing the noise & sensitivity of the sensor.

(i) first one is with 14-42mm @ 17mm and ISO 200 (focus on brick work)



(ii) second one is using 14-42mm @ 14mm at ISO 100 with 8 second exposure



(iii) the third is using the 17mm lens ISO 1600 at 1/15 and f2.8 handheld. Incredible really for this size of camera (lights on top right are not hot pixels, just the lights of my hifi) and also shows image stabilisation in action

Congratulations Harold! Great choice! I'm sure you will be very happy........

Nice shots here....I like the night shot especially. I too was pleasantly surprised with the AF. However, I've learned to work with it - and it's not a problem. I've taken some great photos indoor/lowlight with it.

I had sold my wonderful Canon setup to get the EP-1 - and was a bit challenged by the learning curve at first. However, I'm so pleased with the images and I haven't looked back.

Enjoy - looking forward to seeing more pics.

Maria
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Nice shots and enjoy the cam. Have to disagree about a few aspects that you may have looked at differrently to me......especially about ISO and IQ in general. But you are entitled to your opinion and look at it anyway you like.

You see, you want to be looking at a ISO1200 shot off the GF1 to compare with ISO1600 in the EP1......or an ISO600 shot against the EP-1's ISO800 to match the true ISOs ratings of both cams. And I don't think many people have done that. They just look at equal ISOs of both cams which is not a true reflection.

As for other IQ aspects like DR.....there is only an advantage to the EP-1 of 1/3ev in the highlights in jpeg. But you have to go to ISO200 to get that 1/3ev advantage and you lose a bit of detail if you look at the threads in the cloth on the crops below. The NR is turned off for both crops so it seems that the EP-1 is applying more NR at ISO200 :



So you pay a price in detail for the extra bit of DR. One last thing that you maybe are not considering as IQ, but I do is .....detail, distortions and CA. Not alone is the Panny kit lens way superior especially in the corners to the EP-1s, but the EP-1 doesn't fix distortions on the kit lens as good as the Panny and the CA is terrible at wide angle for landscapes. Also the 20mm doesn't get CA corrected either.

For me, these are negatives in IQ that in certain cases needs to be addressed afterwards in PP which give argument that you can get great out of camera jpegs with the EP-1 all the time. Brian Mosely is a great advocate of the EP-1 and it's OOC jpegs.....but yet if you look at his last few postings of his own photos, all of them get a trip through PP. Sort of defeats what he constantly preaches.

Anyway, Just wanted to point out those little things as this is a forum for discussion of technical issues, and I hope you enjoy your camera and in no way am I trying to put a dampner on things.

--
Regards,
Karl B.

Enjoy it.

Some people seem to have forgotten that hobby's are meant to be fun.

--
Jon

Don't be a wet blanket. Let him enjoy it without throwing out all of your proof of why the GF1 is better. Why do you care?

Enjoy your new E-P1. It is a great camera and the images from it are outstanding. I was wondering why you didn't get the E-P2? I wish that Oly would sell the E-P2 body only for a fair price. I have the Panasonic GF1 with four lenses; the 20mm f1.7 pancake lens, 14 - 45mm lens, 45 - 200mm lens and the 14 - 140mm HD lens. I want to add the Oly E-P2 body only to my collection. The only way I can think of is get the E-P2 with the lens and EVF. Then sell the lens and EVF on Ebay.

Have fun and enjoy it!
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terry
http://tbanet.zenfolio.com/

Do you like your GF-1 ? Just curious because you spend quit a bit of your time crashing new ep-1 owner threads with 'why the gf-1 is better' comments. People who do this on forums typically are not happy and tend to post negative things in attempt to make themselves feel better about their purchase. I am not trying to be rude, but to be honest I have been guilty of same thing. When I owned a nikon dslr I secretly desired a canon. I kept taking cheap shots at canon users because I wasn't truely happy with my nikon slr and It was childish of me, I admit that now. In the end I sold my nikon, bought the canon and was finally happy. Do the same thing for yourself, get the ep-1, it's the camera you truely desire, if it wasn't then you wouldn't be spending all your time on ep-1 threads. And remember, it's not admitting defeat if you sell the gf-1 and get the ep-1 - it's all about happiness in the end - that's what truely counts....

Cheers

no text

Well done! I think that last shot, if converted to B&W skillfullly, would be quite special. Enjoy you new camera - it's a joy to use.

thanks
I think your point about the ISOs not being matched is well taken.
It was the colours, styling and inbuilt stabilisation that I liked.
If the panny could stabilise primes, i might have had a much harder decision

enjoy your GF1

karl boyle said:

Nice shots and enjoy the cam. Have to disagree about a few aspects that you may have looked at differrently to me......especially about ISO and IQ in general. But you are entitled to your opinion and look at it anyway you like.

You see, you want to be looking at a ISO1200 shot off the GF1 to compare with ISO1600 in the EP1......or an ISO600 shot against the EP-1's ISO800 to match the true ISOs ratings of both cams. And I don't think many people have done that. They just look at equal ISOs of both cams which is not a true reflection.

As for other IQ aspects like DR.....there is only an advantage to the EP-1 of 1/3ev in the highlights in jpeg. But you have to go to ISO200 to get that 1/3ev advantage and you lose a bit of detail if you look at the threads in the cloth on the crops below. The NR is turned off for both crops so it seems that the EP-1 is applying more NR at ISO200 :



So you pay a price in detail for the extra bit of DR. One last thing that you maybe are not considering as IQ, but I do is .....detail, distortions and CA. Not alone is the Panny kit lens way superior especially in the corners to the EP-1s, but the EP-1 doesn't fix distortions on the kit lens as good as the Panny and the CA is terrible at wide angle for landscapes. Also the 20mm doesn't get CA corrected either.

For me, these are negatives in IQ that in certain cases needs to be addressed afterwards in PP which give argument that you can get great out of camera jpegs with the EP-1 all the time. Brian Mosely is a great advocate of the EP-1 and it's OOC jpegs.....but yet if you look at his last few postings of his own photos, all of them get a trip through PP. Sort of defeats what he constantly preaches.

Anyway, Just wanted to point out those little things as this is a forum for discussion of technical issues, and I hope you enjoy your camera and in no way am I trying to put a dampner on things.

--
Regards,
Karl B.

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stimmer said:

Don't be a wet blanket.

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Wet blanket? I praised his photos and told him to enjoy his camera and to not let my technical discussion effect his purchase as it's a great camera. What part of that do I need explaining to you in detail or to this forum?

stimmer said:

Let him enjoy it without throwing out all of your proof of why the GF1 is better.

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Throwing proof that the GF1 is better was not my goal. Debating certain facts was my goal. It was the OP who made certain allegations about the GF1 and brought it up for discussion, which I debated him on. This is the right forum for this, isn't it? Or is this only a "good on ye lad" or "attaboy" forum? Just for the record...I threw in an "attaboy" (nice photos) too.
Why do you care?
Maybe because I like to keep to the facts or debate them?
--
Regards,
Karl B.

wStudios said:

Do you like your GF-1 ?

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Immensly. And I would have a blast with a EP-1 too if it were in my hands. But I didn't see it practical to own both. I have owned an Oly E410 and E510 and found them great cameras. No doubt I would fiond the EP-1, the same.

wStudios said:

Just curious because you spend quit a bit of your time crashing new ep-1 owner threads with 'why the gf-1 is better' comments.

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That is where you are dead wrong. On every thread those new EP-1 owners have brought the GF1 up for discussion.........just like this poster has done here. So being a GF1 owner, I am entitled to participate in that discussion. That is not crashing people's thread. They are (unknowingly or knowingly) inviting me into their thread when the make accurate or inaccurate claims about the GF1.

wStudios said:

People who do this on forums typically are not happy and tend to post negative things in attempt to make themselves feel better about their purchase. I am not trying to be rude, but to be honest I have been guilty of same thing.

Click to expand...

That is not why I posted and I accept you are not being rude. But if the OP posted his shots and said he enjoyed his cam very much...I would not be involved in this thread now. But he brought the GF1 up for discussion himself by saying it has worse IQ, DR, and ISOs than the GF1. Unknowingly....he has left a climate for a debate which I duly accepted. I simply pointed out with facts that this was not 100% true. I didn't come in here with any insecurities or agendas about the GF1. I just wanted to state a few facts about the GF1's IQ, ISOs and DR. There was nothing more to my posting. If I wanted an EP1....I would just buy one! I have owned a D700 + 24-70 + 70-200 f2.8 and a 5D with expensive L glass. If I want a camera, I just get it. That's the way I am.

wStudios said:

When I owned a nikon dslr I secretly desired a canon. I kept taking cheap shots at canon users because I wasn't truely happy with my nikon slr and It was childish of me, I admit that now. In the end I sold my nikon, bought the canon and was finally happy

Click to expand...

I'm not like that. If I wanted a Canon when I had Nikon.....I just go and buy it. I have no brand loyality and I don't go too deep (in lenses ect) in a system that I would be totally "locked into" it. That is why the m4/3s attracted me. If I find that Oly or Fuji comes up with something more attractive to my GF1.....then I will ditch the GF1's body and get an Oly or Fuji. The difference is that this time I only need to trade or sell the body, and I can still use my "favourite" lenses or flashes which work on either brand. You can't do that with Canon or Nikon and adds hassle to swopping over.

wStudios said:

Do the same thing for yourself, get the ep-1, it's the camera you truely desire, if it wasn't then you wouldn't be spending all your time on ep-1 threads.

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Your wrong. I'm not spending all my time on EP-1 threads. As I pointed out, I only participate on threads where the GF1 is being discussed. It doesn't matter if it's on a G11 thread or an EP-1 thread or a D90 thread. I don't "single out" EP-1 threads for personal preference. If the GF1 is in any thread for discussion, then I might participate if I feel that facts are inaccurate about the GF1 and to clarify. I did that here. The OP stated that the EP-1 has better ISOs. I pointed out that maybe he is not looking at things properly if he compared equal ISOs because the GF1's ISO800 is really about ISO1100 ect ect.
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Regards,
Karl B.

...that I'd least want to be trapped talking to at a holiday party!

Sure, Karl, you can defend everything you say as being technically correct. But that doesn't excuse the fact that you're in danger of becoming a bore. (Or even a boor.)

Just because you have an opinion and can back it up with facts doesn't mean you must avail yourself of every opportunity to share that opinion. You're starting to sound like a man obsessed, and I don't think that's the real you. Let's see your socially-aware, friendly side more often!

You chose for the same reasons as me. I went for the EP-1 + Oly 14-42 + Pan 20 = £888 (although you can now get that cheaper if you shop around).

One tip I can give which I don't see written around much is avoid shooting at an aperture smaller than f8 if you can. By f11 there is a lot of diffraction producing unsharp results.

I use Aperture priority the most, and so I've set mine up:

• Top roller for Aperture
• Back dial for exp compensation
• joystick for focal point
• leave the quick dial menu on iso so that one click of the ok/set button gets you ISO.
• AF set to the AE lock button only (to save the focus re-hunting with multiple shots

Works well.

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Landscape portfolio
http://www.pbase.com/richthompson/rich_thompson___landscapes

I heard about this
thanks

I just love the fact I can carry in my coat pocket with the 17mm and snap at will.

Its getting alot more use then my DSLR. This is really the future (with a EFV eventually though!)

Richt2000 said:

You chose for the same reasons as me. I went for the EP-1 + Oly 14-42 + Pan 20 = £888 (although you can now get that cheaper if you shop around).

One tip I can give which I don't see written around much is avoid shooting at an aperture smaller than f8 if you can. By f11 there is a lot of diffraction producing unsharp results.

I use Aperture priority the most, and so I've set mine up:

• Top roller for Aperture
• Back dial for exp compensation
• joystick for focal point
• leave the quick dial menu on iso so that one click of the ok/set button gets you ISO.
• AF set to the AE lock button only (to save the focus re-hunting with multiple shots

Works well.

--
Landscape portfolio
http://www.pbase.com/richthompson/rich_thompson___landscapes

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OK karl boyle, and now show us your photos....

Jon Stock said:

Enjoy it.

Some people seem to have forgotten that hobby's are meant to be fun.

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Jon, you should post this on every forum throughout the entire DPReview site!

Smile, fresh air is good for your teeth!