Humansvillian
Senior Member
In April of 2016 I bought the PL1 with a 14-42 kit lens on Ebay for $100, and got addicted to MFT photography because of it. I've bought two more of these cameras with kit lenses for about $100 each and gave them to my kids to learn photography.
The JPEG image quality of the PL1 is fantastic. My DSLR cameras stay in the bag, now.
The PL1 didn't have an autofocus light, and the autofocus is slower than the later MFT cameras that Oly came out with, especially the E-P3 that was the top of the line in the 12mp sensor.
But even though I have an E-P3 now, which is a more capable camera with faster autofocus and more features, I'm keeping my PL-1 in the bag.
No MFT camera ever made had better rangefinder styling than the PL1 and none handle any better. This camera is what MFT photography is all about, a small, light, stylish camera with knockout image quality and a host of customization options.
The PL1 has a built in flash, and probably the best one ever put on a MFT camera. You can bounce the flash with it. The flash pops up so it's never accidentally on.
The best camera you could ever give a relative or friend to learn MFT photography is the PL1 along with the excellent guide book "E-PL1 for Dummies" by Julia Adair King. They are dirt cheap, amazingly capable, and the JPEG image quality is outstanding.
If you are an experienced photographer, or want to upgrade your PL1, I'd recommend the top of the line in 2011 E-P3 because it's a better camera with more features and better autofocus and movie ability. But for the raw beginner, the E-PL is unbeatable.
For image quality, look at my Gallery. Most of the photos were taken with my E-PL1 with the kit lens or a cheap prime lens. I was a raw beginner in 2016 and still not an accomplished photographer, but I'm having a ball taking MFT photos and sharing them with friends and family.
Get your own PL1 and you can start to have fun, too.
The JPEG image quality of the PL1 is fantastic. My DSLR cameras stay in the bag, now.
The PL1 didn't have an autofocus light, and the autofocus is slower than the later MFT cameras that Oly came out with, especially the E-P3 that was the top of the line in the 12mp sensor.
But even though I have an E-P3 now, which is a more capable camera with faster autofocus and more features, I'm keeping my PL-1 in the bag.
No MFT camera ever made had better rangefinder styling than the PL1 and none handle any better. This camera is what MFT photography is all about, a small, light, stylish camera with knockout image quality and a host of customization options.
The PL1 has a built in flash, and probably the best one ever put on a MFT camera. You can bounce the flash with it. The flash pops up so it's never accidentally on.
The best camera you could ever give a relative or friend to learn MFT photography is the PL1 along with the excellent guide book "E-PL1 for Dummies" by Julia Adair King. They are dirt cheap, amazingly capable, and the JPEG image quality is outstanding.
If you are an experienced photographer, or want to upgrade your PL1, I'd recommend the top of the line in 2011 E-P3 because it's a better camera with more features and better autofocus and movie ability. But for the raw beginner, the E-PL is unbeatable.
For image quality, look at my Gallery. Most of the photos were taken with my E-PL1 with the kit lens or a cheap prime lens. I was a raw beginner in 2016 and still not an accomplished photographer, but I'm having a ball taking MFT photos and sharing them with friends and family.
Get your own PL1 and you can start to have fun, too.