Pros
- A light and portable alternative to D-SLRs
- Under normal/ideal situations, delivers images that are on a similar level to D-SLRs
- Excellent colors, IMHO among the best out-of-camera JPEGs
- In-camera image stabilization
Cons
- Highlight clipping. Bright scenes tend to get overexposed more easily than on my D-SLR
- 1/160s flash sync speed is sometimes too slow
- For D-SLR users, the lack of control dials is an inconvenience
- Battery life could be longer (hard to fault, considering that the LCD has to be used for shooting)
During a 5 day trip to Shanghai to see the World Expo 2010, it became painfully obvious that toting around my Nikon D700 with 3 lenses (wide, normal and tele) was not a relaxing way to go on vacation. I wanted to get something that was small and light enough to carry around all day without leaving large welts on my shoulders.
My choice was between the E-PL1 and the Panasonic GF-1 (the E-P1 and E-P2 weren’t considered because of their lack of a built-in flash). I preferred the SLR-like control of the GF-1 but has hesitant on
A) The high price mark (more expensive than many entry-level D-SLRs!)
B) Lack of image stabilization
C) The out-of-camera image quality
I realize that shooting in RAW allows me to manipulate my photos after the fact, but I’m the sort of person who prefers spending more time with my hands on a camera rather than a mouse. The E-PL1 gives me colors and contrasts that suit my tastes, so aside from the occasionally cropping, there’s little need to fiddle with my JPEGs after shooting. The built-in Art filters also come in handy when I want to add some digital enhancements.
After 4 months of shooting - including a trip to Kyoto and 2 studio shoots – I’m very happy with the decision that I made. I don’t know if it’s because of its smaller size, but I find myself shooting more candid photos than before. I’ve always enjoyed photography but somehow the Oly makes shooting even more fun. In some ways, the lack of dials and controls is a blessing because it makes me focus on the aesthetics rather than the technical aspects of photography.
Speaking of the controls, SLR users may need to adapt to the button presses instead of the more conventional control dials, but coming from both a SLR and compact DC background, I don’t find the button presses to be overly inconvenient. In fact, I normally shoot in Aperture mode, so I typically only adjust the aperture once or twice during a shoot.
The major problem encountered so far is with highlight clipping. I’ve had to underexpose extensively when shooting under bright sunlight or when dealing with a lot of whites. Under the same situation, my other cameras seems to have less problem exposing. At first, I thought that it was a feature inherent to the processing engine, but even when shooting in RAW I’ve encountered similar situations.
The X-sync speed of 1/160s is slow for when I’m shooting outdoors or in the studio. 1/250s (or even 1/500s) would be fantastic.
Camera controls, LCD resolution, ISO range are issues that are often brought up, but the E-PL1 was designed to be a trimmed down E-P2, so these limitations are understandable.
Naturally, I wouldn’t consider this camera to be a replacement for my D700. For situations that require high ISO performance, fast focusing or high resolving power I’ll always rely on a combination like my D700 + 70-200mm f/2.8 VR (considering that this combo costs 7 times more than the E-PL1 kit, it better perform better!). But the E-PL1 offers me quality that goes beyond casual shooting and is portable enough for me to take everywhere, which in some ways make it a better camera than the bulky D700.
FYI, aside from the 14-42mm kit lens, I’ve also picked up the Panasonic 45-200mm and the 20mm f/1.7. An excellent combination, with a total weight less than half of my heavier Nikon zooms.
Samples can be found at www.fotop.net/teruphoto/Olympus_EPL1
Problems:
See the Cons highlighted above.
- A light and portable alternative to D-SLRs
- Under normal/ideal situations, delivers images that are on a similar level to D-SLRs
- Excellent colors, IMHO among the best out-of-camera JPEGs
- In-camera image stabilization
Cons
- Highlight clipping. Bright scenes tend to get overexposed more easily than on my D-SLR
- 1/160s flash sync speed is sometimes too slow
- For D-SLR users, the lack of control dials is an inconvenience
- Battery life could be longer (hard to fault, considering that the LCD has to be used for shooting)
During a 5 day trip to Shanghai to see the World Expo 2010, it became painfully obvious that toting around my Nikon D700 with 3 lenses (wide, normal and tele) was not a relaxing way to go on vacation. I wanted to get something that was small and light enough to carry around all day without leaving large welts on my shoulders.
My choice was between the E-PL1 and the Panasonic GF-1 (the E-P1 and E-P2 weren’t considered because of their lack of a built-in flash). I preferred the SLR-like control of the GF-1 but has hesitant on
A) The high price mark (more expensive than many entry-level D-SLRs!)
B) Lack of image stabilization
C) The out-of-camera image quality
I realize that shooting in RAW allows me to manipulate my photos after the fact, but I’m the sort of person who prefers spending more time with my hands on a camera rather than a mouse. The E-PL1 gives me colors and contrasts that suit my tastes, so aside from the occasionally cropping, there’s little need to fiddle with my JPEGs after shooting. The built-in Art filters also come in handy when I want to add some digital enhancements.
After 4 months of shooting - including a trip to Kyoto and 2 studio shoots – I’m very happy with the decision that I made. I don’t know if it’s because of its smaller size, but I find myself shooting more candid photos than before. I’ve always enjoyed photography but somehow the Oly makes shooting even more fun. In some ways, the lack of dials and controls is a blessing because it makes me focus on the aesthetics rather than the technical aspects of photography.
Speaking of the controls, SLR users may need to adapt to the button presses instead of the more conventional control dials, but coming from both a SLR and compact DC background, I don’t find the button presses to be overly inconvenient. In fact, I normally shoot in Aperture mode, so I typically only adjust the aperture once or twice during a shoot.
The major problem encountered so far is with highlight clipping. I’ve had to underexpose extensively when shooting under bright sunlight or when dealing with a lot of whites. Under the same situation, my other cameras seems to have less problem exposing. At first, I thought that it was a feature inherent to the processing engine, but even when shooting in RAW I’ve encountered similar situations.
The X-sync speed of 1/160s is slow for when I’m shooting outdoors or in the studio. 1/250s (or even 1/500s) would be fantastic.
Camera controls, LCD resolution, ISO range are issues that are often brought up, but the E-PL1 was designed to be a trimmed down E-P2, so these limitations are understandable.
Naturally, I wouldn’t consider this camera to be a replacement for my D700. For situations that require high ISO performance, fast focusing or high resolving power I’ll always rely on a combination like my D700 + 70-200mm f/2.8 VR (considering that this combo costs 7 times more than the E-PL1 kit, it better perform better!). But the E-PL1 offers me quality that goes beyond casual shooting and is portable enough for me to take everywhere, which in some ways make it a better camera than the bulky D700.
FYI, aside from the 14-42mm kit lens, I’ve also picked up the Panasonic 45-200mm and the 20mm f/1.7. An excellent combination, with a total weight less than half of my heavier Nikon zooms.
Samples can be found at www.fotop.net/teruphoto/Olympus_EPL1
Problems:
See the Cons highlighted above.