| Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF | |
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Olympus PEN E-PL1 12.3MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Champagne Gold) | 
| Brand: Olympus
Buy New: Too low to display
as of 3/18/2010 16:33 CDT details
New (14)
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 2111
Color: Champaign Gold
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Includes Software: Yes
Optical Zoom: 3
Connectivity: AV
Maximum Resolution: 12300000
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 5.9 x 4.4
MPN: E-PL1 Champaign Gold Kit
Model: E-PL1 Champaign Gold Kit
UPC: 050332173217
EAN: 0050332173217
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Pre-Order (0-0 Business Days)
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| Features:
| • | 12.3 megapixel Live-MOS | | • | 2.7" LCD | | • | True-Pic image processor | | • | World's smallest 12.3-megapixel interchangeable lens system | | • | Micro 4/3 camera |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
12.3-megapixel effective recording * Four Thirds-type Live MOS image sensor (17.3 x 13.0 mm) * 14-42mm M. Zuiko Digital ED f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens (35mm equivalent focal length: 28-84mm) * 3X optical zoom * high-def movie mode (up to 720p) with sound and manual exposure control * dedicated record button instantly puts you into movie mode * 2-11/16" LCD screen with Live View for composing shots in real-time * in-body image stabilization compensates for camera shake (works with any attached lens) * 11-point autofocus system with AF tracking for rapid, precise autofocusing with moving subjects * face-detection autofocus (up to 8 faces) for sharp, clear portraits and group shots * six preset art filters allow creative movie or still image effects, including Diorama, Soft Focus, Pop Art, Pin Hole, and Grainy Film * built-in pop-up flash with wireless control for compatible external Olympus flashes * AVI movie files (Motion JPEG) up to 1280 x 720 resolution at 30 frames per second with built-in mono microphone *
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| Customer Reviews:
Budget Admission into Micro-4/3 February 26, 2010
Paul Liesenberg (bay area, california)
31 out of 36 found this review helpful
I just bought the Olympus E-PL1 so this review will be updated once I have truly learned to exploit the cameras ability a bit further. First of all - if I could give it 4.5 stars if this system allowed for it.
If you are looking into this camera, chances are you are like me: you already own a good compact (in my case, among others, the Canon S90, which has very positive reviews for its fast lens and image quality) but you always wonder if you will take better pictures with a bigger, more serious camera. The lure of the bigger sensor, since it promises better results, especially in low light conditions - all the experts say so, right? Then again, a full-blown DSLR seems too big and bulky, and you wonder if you'll really take that thing anywhere. Luckily, vendors came out with the micro-4/3s format, which packs a much larger sensor (5 to 9 times larger than a compact camera's!) into a typically stylish, sleek looking design. Panasonic and Olympus had been offering models that, with lens and all, would set you back around $1,000. A tad too pricey for an experiment. Obviously Olympus set out to truly makes the E-PL1 appeal to the masses with the price point for the E-PL1. I was like, "sure, at least this will not be the most expensive mistake I've ever made".
The camera feels solid. I love its Bauhaus style retro design that supposedly harks back to some very collectible Olympus classic model. Well, I'd never seen one, but I like the looks of the E-PL1. Side by side with its more expensive micro-4/3 competitors (in house from Olympus and the Panasonic) the E-PL1 seems more plasticky and lighter. But compared to a compact it feels like the proverbial metal brick. I picked the silver one (it's also offered in other colors, make sure to pick the one you like so you don't regret it later).
The package is the usual fare - charger for the battery, battery, camera body, the 14-42mm lens, and a few convenient covers for lens openings. Also included a USB cable. A proprietary one, of course, it annoys me that vendors keep doing it, there is absolutely no reason why Olympus should not have used a standard USB cable format. Also a cable to attach the Olympus to your TV. Finally, the usual software package (I own Photoshop, so I do not install the vendors' packaged software) as well as a suitably thick instruction book. Which I will make a point of reading thoroughly, probably more than once. Needless to say, no SDHC card included, and a fast one is recommended. Especially if you shoot RAW (which I admit I just do for 5% of my shots, if that).
The feature set is very impressive, and I shall not bore you cutting and pasting the many modes etc from other places. Everything you'd expect is there: full auto (come on, we don't but a camera like this to leave it in full auto, do we?), P mode (programmable auto, which is what I typically use on the Canon S90 for point and shoot), and aperture and shutter priority. See a list of the specs here (Olympus site, Amazon cuts off links).
But one set is something new and needs to be pointed out - the Art Filter. Very cool for playing around, I immediately played with the Soft Focus and the Diorama mode, very fun effects and very well done. Of course it's stuff you could do in Photoshop later with any picture, but it's also great to have the ability to capture a mood and differentiate your shot in real time. It's a great idea by Olympus so that people can feel like artistic photographers right away within minutes of buying the E-PL1.
The sensor in the camera's body is large, you can take a good look at it when you take the lens off. Which also means it is exposed, so be very aware you need to protect it like your own eye. Talking about the included kit lens, the 14-42mm needs to be multiplied by 2 to arrive at the equivalent 28-84mm range. Which means it is fairly wide at the low range, but a 3x zoom may be very limiting to those used to their 5x and higher in compacts, especially since it starts at 28mm. Focus enthusiasts should mentally factor in the $ for a more powerful lens. As well as its potential size.
First impressions: it starts up very fast, an SLR advantage in general. Ready to shoot right away. Of course, first you must have removed the hood lens and perhaps unlock the lens if you had collapsed it for easier transportation (most pictures you see of the 14-42 lens are in the collapsed compact position - it's quite a bit larger when you take pictures. That makes the speed advantage against a compact more relative. The E-PL1 also focuses and does it's scene evaluation faster than a compact. Not immediately as some larger SLRs, but quite quickly. Since it doesn't have an assisted AF beam, it remains to see how it performs in low light. But the camera's speed seems very good. The LCD is 2.7 inches, meaning it's smaller than the one on my 3 year old Canon G9, but it is a very nice one. And it better be, since you don't have an optical viewfinder (which I admittedly never use on my cameras which offer it).
I know what you are thinking - "Stop telling me the obvious, tell me how it compares against that Canon S90 you also claim to have!". Ok, impatient reader, I have a gallery for you:
[...] [again, Amazon does not allow external links, sorry]
A very important caveat as you look at these shots: I know how to use the Canon S90 and have it set up so it performs in ways I like. But as you can see, that is within limits, and while I could have further optimized the results... I decided not to, because for obvious reasons I do not yet know how to truly go about exploiting the E-PL1's capabilities, which I am sure reach significantly further than these shots reveal. Up to now, I have taken exactly a dozen shots with the E-PL1, so I would suggest you do like me, and take the shots as very inconclusive. The *one* thing that matters is that depth of field shot: the S90 is lauded for having the ability to create depth of field effects, as the f2.0 lens suggests, and as you can tell from that shot, great for a compact camera and all. The Olympus lens spec does not get anywhere near f2.0 because it doesn't have to - the lens and sensors are much bigger, and thus far more light makes it in anyhow. Check it out - the depth of field is much better defined on the E-PL1, it blows the S90 easily away in all aspects of that shot. But I have to admit I was a bit surprised the bigger dynamic range of the bigger sensor wasn't more visible in the contrast rich shots.
But I think one thing you should take away from this is that you probably should not expect to see a *huge* difference in everyday shots between a good compact like the S90, and a camera like the E-PL1 - or a $5,000 full blown DSLR kit, for that matter. What you do get is more flexibility and creative control - not necessarily far more detail and what not, not for your average snapshot. If you like to take difficult shots, different matter. So make sure you buy a camera for the right reasons.
I for one know I am going to like taking pictures with the E-PL1 a lot. I also am already considering buying other lenses, and have already ordered the external flash (the E-PL1 does include a pop-up flash, but it's small and as such probably limited). There it is, the trap of the modular kit - the camera price is just for admission. As I consider lenses, I find myself wondering whether to go for specifically built micro-4/3 lenses, or more generic 4/3... hmmm. If you buy this camera and start buying lenses (there isn't a lot of choice in lenses built specially for this camera, but supposedly a few are coming), you'll have to do the same, and I shall be interested in your thoughts.
The final question you may ask me is "hey you say you like it, why only 4.5 stars?" - like I said, I think it's 4.5 stars, very good. I may update that once I learn to further optimize results and they start to blow me away, which hasn't been the case yet. Probably it was a bit much to expect to be blown away by the difference without having learned the camera more.
These are my preliminary impressions for the E-PL1. I hope to soon read others' too!
Great move up for P&S users, Cheap alternate for DSLR users March 4, 2010
N. Iqbal (USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I bought the slate blue version last week. I already own an Olympus E620 DSLR. So this camera will serve as my go anywhere portable compact(dslr). Mind you, the Olympus E620 is already one of the smallest dslrs' you can buy in the market, but it wasn't always convenient to carry it around, especially when you with a group of friends at a dinner or just walking around the city. The EPL-1 is almost inconspicuous, just a bit bigger than your more advanced point and shoot.
Feature wise, its a step down from the EP1/2 in a few areas, and a step up in others. For one the build is not as stellar as the elder PEN siblings, but still good enough. It feels solid and it is comfortable to hold. The interface is a little complicated if you upgraded from a P&S, but if you moved down from an Olympus DLSR, you welcome the familiarity. I love how Olympus allows you to make your menus as complicated or simple as you wish, hiding the more advanced options until you need them. So I can set it up just like my E620, and yet have my wife use the compact like menu options when she uses the camera.
The picture quality is just the same as the E620, as they use much of the same internals, sensor, a new image processing engine. So in many ways you are getting the same picture quality, while giving up very little (max shutter at 1/2000, weaker image stabilization) while you get the newest features that improve upon the E620 (new image processing engine, 720p video)
I have largely compared the EPL-1 with the E620 rather than the EP1/2 because these two camera fall in the same price category, so basically for the price of E620, most of everything in a EP1/2 in a smaller compact body with very few compromises. All in all Olympus have a killer product at a very compelling price!
 A Nice Camera But A Bit of A Mixed Bag March 6, 2010
B. Fuller (United States)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
What do you get when you take Olympus PEN and mix it with a stripper (Of course I mean someone who strips features from a camera). You get the E-PL1 camera which is a little bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand you have one of the best versions of the m4/3 sensor to date. From what I have read it is better than both the E-P1 and E-P2 sensors. It is hard to tell the difference at normal screen and printing resolutions and I take a picture at its whole and don't pixel peep so I cannot verify that. What I can say is this camera is capable of producing world class images. Additionally, this camera has the Olympus JPEG engine which is regarded in the business as one of the best. This camera is also relatively small and light and includes a fill flash. Additionally, it has image stabilization (IS) built into the camera. It is not pocketable and the size of this camera has more to do with the lens that it is wearing then the actual camera itself.
On the other hand, you have a camera that is slow to focus. It appears to me that it zooms to infinity (and beyond) and then catches the focus on its way back in. If you are taking pictures of forever-in-motion kids you can be sure you will miss quite a few decisive moments. Additionally, this camera lacks the most important camera control there is. This is the control wheel used to change exposure, aperture, and shutter settings in a quick efficient manner. Instead this camera uses buttons which is an unwieldy way of making these changes. Most higher end Point and Shoot (P+S) cameras have some version of this control wheel. I think anyone transitioning to this camera from a DSLR or high end P+S will be frustrated by this. I've seen this billed as a good thing as there are less controls to get confused over. That may be so but all m4/3 cameras can be used as point and shoot by just keeping in the intelligent Auto(iA) mode. This simplifies the menu options and takes great pictures a majority of the time.
I think for anyone who wants to step up from a P+S to take better Image Quality pictures but plans to stay in the iA mode 90% of the time, then this camera will serve you well and will take some amazing images.
Anyone, who has a E-P1or E-P2 who want a sensors with a weaker Anti-Aliasing filter (i.e. less detail lost to the AA filter) and a fill flash will enjoy this camera for the IQ but will probably be frustrated with the loss of the control wheel
Anyone either stepping up from a high end P+S such as the LX3, S90, or G11 will be impressed with the images, but not blown away by the difference, unimpressed with the P+S focus performance, and frustrated in the P, A, S or M shooting modes. Additionally, you will be unimpressed with the bigger size of the camera but will enjoy the flexibility if your budget includes other lenses.
Anyone, getting this as a second carry around camera to a DSLR, will be happy with the smaller size and weight but unhappy with the slower performance. And frustrated by the clumsy controls but happy with the video capabilities.
If you don't need or want the video, don't mind IS in the lens instead of the camera, and can put up with a slight decrease in you IQ, ISO, and JPEG performance, then the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 12.1MP Digital Camera with Lumix G Vario 14-45 mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega OIS Lens (Red) offers many upgrades at the same price (Integrated 1.4mp EVF, Swivel Screen, 460k screen, Grip for bigger lenses, faster focus performance, etc)
For the same price, the newly announced G10 matches the E-PL1 with video, and new processing engine (cross your fingers for a JPEG improvement). Additionally, it has a 2kp EVF (I'm not sure how useful that will be), a grip, a control wheel, a 1/4000 shutter speed and faster focus performance. It does not have in-camera IS.
For those planning on getting the EVF at some point or with an ~$200 greater budget, check out the newly announced G2. Take the G1, add 720P 60/50fps video, an improved processing engine, a new dial to change focusing modes, touch screen controls that look to work as slick as an iPhone, and touch screen focus, and you have a really really nice full featured camera.
Here is a quick and dirty list of pros and cons of the E-PL1
Pros
The best Olympus implementation of the m4/3 sensor
One of the best JPEG engines in the business
Relatively small and light
Built in flash
In camera Image Stabilization(IS)
Price (The cheapest m4/3 yet)
Optional EVF (A very nice 1.4mp unit but very pricy at $279)
Its available
Nice build quality
Cons
Slow Autofocus (Panasonic has this figured out. Olympus, not so much)
Missing Control Wheel slows down aperture, shutter, and exposure changes
Only 230k screen?!
1/2000 shutter speed?! A lot of P+S go to 1/4000
Locking lens is annoying to deploy and stow
Overall
A competent and nice camera that will take stunning images. Slow autofocus and clunky controls will make this camera frustrating to many people.
just a dad review March 18, 2010
Ralph M. Clinkscales (Austin,Texas)
Wow, people are very serious about their camera reviews, very in-depth. Well, I'm a dad of 4 and this camera is just perfect for me. SOOO much better than a point-n-shoot but not as daunting as a true DSLR. I can have fun with the ART features, rely on the SCENE mode, play around with effects in the iAUTO mode, and change out the lenses for added creativity. The result is a bunch of great family photos that are 100 times better than my Coolpix could ever do. I put together our family YEAR IN REVIEW books and now they've just gotten a lot better. If you're looking to step up from a point-n-shoot but don't wanna risk the money this baby is for you. I think that you could go a long time on this camera, even if you are serious about learning photography and know you will eventually get a DSLR. Buy it.
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