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Author
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prayformojo
Mu-43 Rookie
Registered: March 2010
Posts: 11
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Review Date: Tue March 9, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $599.99
| Rating: 0
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Pros:
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Easy to use, great IQ with high ISO, art filters are fun, video is solid
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Cons:
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AF speed, but can be vastly improved by changing up lenses, esp. the Panny 20mm
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Loving it more and more each day. Paired with the Panny 20mm lens this camera is amazing. I took a handful of shots of the kids playing in the yard over the weekend and they blew me away. I am a total novice and the auto mode makes taking amazing shots very easy. Art filters are a lot of fun. I was initially on the fence due to the AF lag, but changing lenses fixes that and the image quality seems better than entry level DSLRs.
Added some pics from this weekend to my gallery, again I'm a total novice and have been very pleased with the DOF the e-pl1 offers, esp with the 20mm lens.
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vietcam
Mu-43 Regular
Registered: March 2010
Posts: 26
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Review Date: Tue March 16, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $551.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Excellent Jpeg IQ, easy to use, small enough to be an everywhere camera. Fun in camera filters. Interchangable lens, build in bounce flash
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Cons:
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Slow auto focus with the kit lens. Not all metal body
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I was having such a hard time deciding between the GF1 and the EP2. With the GF1 you pretty much have to shoot RAW since their jpeg is in the cold side. The EP2 doesn't have flash and I wasn't sure if I really need the EVF since I have never owned a SLR before and always shoot with the LCD.
The release of the Olympus EPL1 really help me made my decision. The auto focus with the kit lens is slow but still faster than my LX3. If you have kids like me, this kit lens autofocus speed could be frustraded sometime. The IQ of the kit lens is only average and gets worst at the 42mm focal lengh. I decided not to use the kit lens and got the Panasonic 20mm and 14-45mm. Let me tell you it made a world different with auto focusing and the sharpness of these 2 lens especially the 20mm is quite impressive. Low resolution LCD is not an issue for me at all. I have heard alot about Olympus Jpeg color and sure I was impressed. I don't know if I can do better with RAW. Another plus for the flash is you can pull it back and use it as a bounce instead of direct flash. After 2 weeks of using it, I actually like the olympus menu better than my Panasonic LX3, which is very similar to the GF1. Over all I am very happy with the EPL1. I do recommend this camera to people who want to upgrade from their P&S like me.
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BBW
Super Moderator Emeritus
Registered: January 2010
Location: Near "Playland" outside of NYC, NY, USA
Posts: 6284
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Review Date: Fri April 16, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $599.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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easier to use - more intuitive controls, lighter weight, built in flash, seems to be "faster", very ergonomic feeling
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Cons:
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No cons to me, though apparently its slower shutter speed 1/2000 vs 1/4000 bothers some.
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As the former owner of the E-P2, I'm doing a review of my current camera the E-PL1. As much as I was getting the hang of the E-P2, it did not offer me the flexibility that I really wanted because of its lack of a built in flash. Now some may be shaking their heads in wonderment...but it cramped my style because I want this camera to be my "go to" camera for everything. The idea of having to stop and put on a flash, be obvious and take the time, etc., for the frequent times I would like to use this for casual photos..."snapshots", if you will, were many...but instead I'd find I'd reach for my little Canon SD870 IS. This flash may not meet all your needs but it will meet many for casual photos.
I researched the E-PL1 quite a bit. It still has the interchangeable lenses, still really offers everything I care about...slightly slower shutter speed, but that is not important to me. The camera weighs less - another plus - and although its LCD screen is smaller, I really never use the LCD because I retained my EVF, which I love.
From my point of view, this camera's controls are much more user friendly. Now I am not using the very, very simple "make blurry" controls...but I think it's a great come on and that someone who has no interest in learning about f stops, etc., will love the camera... Meanwhile, I can still choose my f stop, my Aperture, my EV compensation, and all the rest, plus I get the built in flash! I believe the focussing speed is faster, as well. With the 4/22/2010 firmware update things should be even better!
Even though I liked the E-P2 and achieved one of my best portrait photographs ever, it wasn't quite the camera, the one and only, for me because I found I was missing many opportunities to use it...unless I was specifically going "out to" shoot. I wanted the best of both worlds. Since I like Olympus and have a couple of OM-1 lenses and like the size... I became more and more interested.
This camera - with the EVF - is just what I wanted and needed. Right now I have the 14-42mm and am using it more than ever; the Panasonic 20mm 1.7 which is great, and would love to get one of the upcoming Olympus wide angle zoom lenses.
------------------------------
**An evolving camera owner.
~ BB
Flickr photostream
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e-pl1
Mu-43 Regular
Registered: April 2010
Posts: 25
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Review Date: Sun May 2, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $730.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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with adapters you can use any lens, great picture quality (OOC), live guide for beginners, art filters
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Cons:
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slow AF (in low light can't focus), no AF assist light, flash not strong enough, LCD with only 230k dots (2,7''), short battery life (3min video and 250 pictures)
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I like this camera a lot...
I think it's a good value for money (I live in EU and I paid 550 EUR for body + 14-42). It is a great little camera and I must say JPEGs looks amazing. I don't even use RAW - JPEGs are really that good. Kit lens are good and with adapters you can use any lens. This is the best thing about this camera - you can use even your 30 years old lens!
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jrgutknecht
New to Mu-43
Registered: June 2010
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Fri June 18, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $524.99
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Excellent image quality, easy for hobbyist to use
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Cons:
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battery does not appear to charge over USB
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I bought the E-PL1 as a step up from my point and shoot super zoom. I wanted better images, better low light capture but didn't want a huge DSLR. I was a little worried the menus would be too complex, but I actually find it easier to take photos with this camera than my point and shoot. And the images are great! I love this camera and it's small enough I can take it with me everywhere. With the recent price drop to $524.99 for the camera and kit lens (which I think is great!) it's a steal !!! I really hope this camera is a huge success for Olympus, it's a great product. I'm an Olympus convert now!
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w7ox
Mu-43 Regular
Registered: June 2010
Posts: 36
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Review Date: Fri June 18, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $599.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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IQ, Great jpegs, Low noise up to ISO 1600
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Cons:
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Not the fastest focuser (tho better with Panny lenses)
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I use the E-PL1 and GH1. I prefer the handling of the GH1, and its operational speed, but I like the colors I get from E-PL1 jpegs. Just now my standard lens on the E-PL1 is a Panny 14-45 OIS, but I expect to use the Oly 14-150 m4/3 lens most of the time once it arrives.
The E-PL1 and Panny 20 f/1.7 without the VF2 mounted make a great, unobtrusive street shooting combo. The 9-18 mft lens (eff 18-36 mm) is also good for both street and landscape shooting -- and was my favorite lens in Bryce Canyon last week. The 7-14 on the GH1 seemed too wide in this situation.
------------------------------
Phil
GH3 (8 fisheye, 12-35, 35-100, 100-300)
GX1 (20 f/1.7, 9-18, 14-45)
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jcaruda
New to Mu-43
Registered: July 2010
Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil
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Review Date: Fri July 30, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $599.00
| Rating: 0
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Pros:
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size, high quality JPEG directily from machine, simple to use
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Cons:
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battery life
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Hi, the E-PL1 is my first digital cam with interchangeable lens, and I love it. On film side I´m canon boy (2 canons and some lens). I decided by E-PL1 mostly because the review comparing image quality in DPReview and the small size and simplicity of use (the camera is used by my wife either).
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perry
New to Mu-43
Registered: July 2010
Location: Holland
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Sun August 8, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $500.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Good IQ, small, inconspicous, light
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Cons:
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Slooow af, mediocre screen
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My last post here and one of my last posts on DPR was completely based on the part of picture taking, without seriously viewing the results. Had the camera for 3 weeks. Thus it was based only on the first part of the process of "taking and printing/vieuwing pictures" on a 2 week holiday to France. And I must add I'm a "wide shooter".
Now after screening my 900+ pics from France on a big screen (HD plasma 42) and some printed pro and quite large (50x70cm) I must confess: this epl1 and 9-18 MFT is truly a remarkable little combo. Stunning IQ in almost all the pics up to 640 iso. AF is sluggish as I said earlier but AF results appear to be SPOT ON for 98% of the time, even in dimly lit spaces like churches, nightly cities etc! Strangely enough the freedom of the "compact-like" appearance and use of the screen appears to have added vastly to my framing skills. You can get inconspiculously "into" the crowds and with the 9-18 get some wonderfully intense street action shooting. I have (stupidly) been denying for years that my pics taken with various compacts had better composition, framing and timing then those I took with the DSLR that I had at that moment. Vieuwers constantly stressed this. I was in denial, this could not be so. But it WAS! No more! Thanks to MFT. I'm very pleased with the set now. The IQ and esp the colors OOC JPEG are magnificent. Eagerly anticipating some nice lenses from various brands that by means of some seriously cheap adapters fit the epl1. And eagerly awaiting the epl2 and 3 with bigger better screen, with EVF and quicker AF .
BTW: the screen is really baaad. No test or forum prepared me for this. Did extensive search.
mu-43 rocks 
>>
previously posted part
After beeing to France for 2 weeks with the epl1 with some lenses (including the 9-18 mft) my experiences are that the JPEG OOC IQ up to 640 is great. That the IQ of all the lenses is great. The 9-18 is outstanding. But the AF (with 1.1 vers) is bad to being unacceptable to me. Coming from a long line of DSLR and a large set of compacts this is a real con to me. The second bad part is the screen, it is ... yukkk! Even my 150 euro sony snapper cam w125 has a better screen then this. Conclusion for now: this will not be my next holiday cam.
Unsure about the recommendation, if coming from a compact, one can probably live with the AF.
Regards, Perry
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briandforever
Mu-43 Regular
Registered: September 2010
Posts: 87
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Review Date: Thu October 7, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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small size, jpeg IQ, sharpness, WB out of camera, high iso capability, art filter, built-in flash
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Cons:
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slow focus, battery life, 1/2000th limit.
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i need a point & shoot camera, but hasn't found any that can fulfill my needs and style of photography. i don't wanna carry my d700 anywhere i go. i leave it for work.
so i thru research, found this cheap version of e-p1 e-p2 m/43 camera.
as many have said, it is small but "strong". it's easy to use, it's fun. and the most important thing, the image quality is what i see, is much better than any p&s camera.
this is a camera for me, i use P mode, but still put control to the e-pl1.
i have nikon d700 and canon sd860, so here is my shoot:
on the 1st day, i was dissapointed, i thought i just waste 600$ for a stupid p&s, but on the 2nd day, i started to feel the comfortable using the camera.
built/body: small, light weight, fits me or those who can't bring heavy dslr. some complaining of it's plasticky body, for me it' good for price&weight reduction. besides, i never bump any of my camera, i treat them carefully. some also complaining about less dials compare to e-p1/2. for me, it's ok, i'm not going to shoot sports or event as i usually do. so you take and give, it's a good trade off for me, no dials to lighter&cheaper body.
Auto Focus: NOT FAST at all, even compare to my canon Sd860. specially at the 42mm focal length, it hunts. backingwards a little bit to 40mm will solve the problem. (*note that i'm using firmware 1.0 and kit lens 14-42mm) some reported faster AF with newer firmware version or with other lens. but than again, it's just camera for fun, and i can live with the focus.
IQ: much better than P&S canon sd860 that i've used, even straight out of camera. the great IQ comes from the combination of metering, sharpness, color, WB and high ISO capability. i haven't even tried the RAW files. ill leave with with my d700 for RAW.
kit lens 14-42mm: surprisingly ok. i was planning to buy the 17mm lens and put the kit lens in the box forever. but after i use it, i've decided to use it.
i shoot a lot with auto iso as starter, the results seems ok even at 1600, i've print it out @A4 size.
the art filter is a bonus for me, it's fun.
why i choose e-pl1 over e-p2: price, on-body flash
why e-pl1 over gf1: price, high iso capability
e-pl1+kit lens
1/25 f/4.2 @22mm
iso2000
auto WB
JPEG straight ooc
cheers
www.briandliong.com
www.panda-link.com
www.cariguru.com
------------------------------
www.BriandLiong.com
Facebook.com/BriandLiongPhotography
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suboxes
New to Mu-43
Registered: October 2010
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Review Date: Sat October 23, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? No |
Price you paid?: $425.00
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Price?, lens options, movies do look good when focused
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Cons:
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Slow AF, AF when recording movies, Screen, Inflated ISO ratings
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I purchased this camera to replace a Canon G10 that I sold. I was hoping that the larger sensor would provide -significant- improvements in low light performance. I must say I have been disappointed.
In auto mode it seems impossible to take a shot without the camera automatically bumping the iso to 1600 which is ok but I want crisper photos. I am talking about photos inside during the day. On top of that we have large windows in our home that let in what at least appears to me lots of light. If I cap the iso in auto mode to say 640 or 400 then the shutter speed becomes way to long. Much longer than my other camera's that I have had. Which would lead me to think that the iso ratings are inflated. Could it be that I have a faulty camera? The reason I went for the e-pl1 was because of all of the great reviews about low light capability but I am not seeing it.
Another let down is the flash. I am not a good photographer by any means but I would like the flash to be able to supplement without washing out colors or just accenting one part of the picture. The Canon G10's flash was excellent at preserving a shot that still looked as if the flash had not been used but just adding enough light to get a good shot.
I like how the videos look if there is a decent amount of light available but not being able to move or zoom without having to force the camera to refocus is a tad annoying. If you do set the camera to continuous AF it spends more time out of focus than in focus.
Last of all I wish the screen was higher resolution. I think I just got too used to the 3" 460K screen on the Canon G10 but the e-pl1 screen just looks cheaper than it should be. The worst part is some $150 P&S cameras now have a better screen than the e-pl1
Any suggestions on how to tweak or get the best use out of this camera would be greatly appreciated. I really want to give it another chance.
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onder
New to Mu-43
Registered: November 2010
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Review Date: Sat November 20, 2010
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $549.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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light ! , portable for long walks, excellent customization, very good day pictures, excellent for giving life to old dead lens
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Cons:
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Not good at night, slow AF,
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I bought E-PL1 to accompagne to my DSLR because it is very light and compact but has picture quality and gives many customization to owner during your works. And also my other point was to give life to my old Minolta and Leica lens results were perfect. Now I am feeling as in analogue years but I wish there will be more analogue style controller.
I recommend it to all who wants a good daily camera that you can always take it with you except night shoots because of its noisy ISO.
Also I wish that manuel can give us more technical details behind the functions. Like that we loose enough time to learn about them. Anyway : ) I like it.Thanks Oly.
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SCT
Mu-43 Regular
Registered: March 2011
Location: Landover, MD, USA
Posts: 141
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Review Date: Tue March 8, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $582.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Art filters, HD Movie mode, many more!
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Cons:
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None, to me.
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Third camera for me, first two were point and shoots (Canon Powershot (crushed) and Nikon S550 (still use when EPL1 is left at home)).
Been the owner of an Olympus EPL1 since October 2010.
So far, it's been terrific! Granted, like everything else, the first few uses are somewhat discouraging. But once you get the hang of it, all the settings you can do, it's the best and only gets better.
I compared this camera to others including DSLRs like Canon and Nikon. What made me buy this camera is what it can do. The #1 is the art filters. And like the more expensive cameras, I have the ability take full control of all the settings in manual mode.
For this being my first M4/3, a tad step below the big, pricey SLR/ DSLR cameras, I'm very satisfied. And for how much I got it for, well worth it.
------------------------------
OLYMPUS EPL-1
NATIVE LENSES
14-42mm ED | 14-42mm II R MSC | 40-150mm ED MSC
LEGACY LENSES
Vivitar 28mm f/2.5 | Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f/3.5
Minolta 50mm f/3.5 MD Macro | Minolta 50mm f/2 MD | Minolta Rokkor-X PF 50mm f/2 | Minolta Rokkor-X 45mm f/2
Konica Hexanon AR 40mm f/1.8 | Konica Hexanon AR 200mm f/4
Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50mm f/2.8
Accura 12mm f/8 Fish-Eye
Tokina 500mm f/8
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BAKatz
Mu-43 Regular
Registered: September 2010
Location: Crompond,NY
Posts: 197
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Review Date: Wed April 13, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: $499.00
| Rating: 0
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Pros:
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newbie friendly,portability,software support
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Cons:
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extreme lowlight situations,lack of remote shutter release, cost of VF2
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this is my first interchangeable lens digital camera...i was looking for something that wasn't a " brick "...after much deliberation ( reading reviews,opinions,handling in store ) i found myself gravitating towards M4/3...i loved the portability, ease of use, and features ( art filters,etc )...i'm loving it more and more every day........i still only have the kit lens, but that will change over the next year....before i go to Alaska.......
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AVG
New to Mu-43
Registered: June 2011
Location: Florida
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Mon June 13, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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Pros:
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small size
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Cons:
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no eyeviewer
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This is a great small camera. Got mine at hhgregg in Brooksville, Florida. It was on display a few months ago. I did not see it untill this week in the stores showcase at $150.00 off the price. It came with everything but the pc cord. They took $30.00 off for the missing cord so i end up getting it for $310.00. This will add to my other cameras E-30, DMC L1 and all my Olympus gear.
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stratokaster
Mu-43 Top Veteran
Registered: January 2011
Location: Kyiv
Posts: 832
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Review Date: Mon June 4, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Great JPEG IQ, very light AA filter (great detail in RAW), wireless TTL flash control
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Cons:
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No control dials, poor screen, 1/2000s max shutter speed
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This was the first truly affordable Olympus E-Pen camera. It was significantly simplified compared to the E-P2 (no control rings, less effective IBIS, slower max shutter speed, smaller and dimmer screen), but it has the greatest image quality of all Olympus cameras prior to the mighty E-M5. It has the lightest AA filter of all Micro 4/3 cameras and its RAW files produce great detail. It has excellent color and sharpness in JPEG plus the ability to customize the camera output to your tastes.
The biggest downside of the camera is its screen - it's very dim and almost useless in broad daylight. However, the camera has the Olympus AP slot for attaching an external EVF (VF-2 or VF-3).
Overall, if you're looking for extremely inexpensive yet very capable camera, Olympus E-PL1 is the camera to buy. Highly recommended.
------------------------------
As a truly great man, I hate people with delusions of grandeur.
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Micro Four Thirds User Forum
