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Olympus E-P1 review and tests
The Micro Four Thirds is a new standard of cameras with a 17.3x13mm
sensor (2x magnification in comparison with 35mm) and without mirror:
thanks to this design, the MFT cameras can be lighter and smaller, and
they offer several advantages in comparison with reflex cameras. They
can use electronic viewfinder - a technology that in future will surpass
the optical viewfinder, thanks to its capability of real-time preview of
exposure and depth of field; they don't need mirror lock
up; and the sensor is more easy to clean.
The Olympus E-P1 (now
replaced by the almost identical EP-2, that has an optional electronic
viewfinder) has an unusual "retro style" and it offers truly compact
dimensions. I have used it for a couple of weeks during my trip to
France, alongside with my Canon cameras, and in this article I have
reported my experience.
Quick specifications comparison (E-P1 vs 500D and 14-42 vs 18-55)
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Olympus E-P1
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Canon 500D
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Sensor size
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Four Thirds (2.0x)
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APS-C (1.6x)
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Megapixels
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12 megapixels
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15 megapixels
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ISO sensitivities
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100 - 6400
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100 - 12800
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ISO performance
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usable up to ISO 1600/almost 3200
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usable up to ISO 3200
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Continuous shooting
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3 FPS x 10 RAW
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3.5 FPS x 10 RAW
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LCD screen
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3", 320x240 px
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3", 640x480 px
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Live view
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yes
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yes
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Silent shooting (MLU replacement)
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no (but it is not needed)
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no
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Video
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yes, 1280x720px at 30 FPS
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yes, 1280x720px at 30 FPS
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Dimensions
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121 x 70 x 36 mm
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129 x 98 x 62 mm
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Battery charge in %
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no
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no
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Weight
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0.40 kg
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0.52 kg
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Price
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$ 650 with kit lens
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$ 750 with kit lens
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Announced
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2009
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2009
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Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42 f/3.5-5.6
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Canon EF-S 18-55 IS f/3.5-5.6
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Focal length
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14-42 mm (equivalent to 28-84mm on FF)
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18-55 mm (29-90mm equiv.)
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Macro ratio
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0.24x (1:4, equivalent to 1:2 on
FF)
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0.24x (1:4.1)
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Max Aperture
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f/3.5-5.6
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f/3.5-5.6
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Stabilization
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Yes (in camera)
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Yes
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Autofocus
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Lens Motor
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Lens Motor
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Closest Focus
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0.25 meters
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0.25 meters
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Dimensions
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43 mm (lenght) x 62 mm (width)
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84 mm (lenght) x 68 mm (width)
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Weight
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150 g
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200 g
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Weather sealing
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No
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No
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Price
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$ 100 (?)
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$ 200
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Announced
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2009
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2008
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In terms of features, the E-P1 can be compared with a good entry
level camera as the Canon 500D: is has about
the same resolution and noise performance,
it has the same video capabilities, similar
continuous shooting and similar price. On
the other hand, there are some substantial
differences: the EP-1 is way smaller, and it
has no viewfinder at all! You use the LCD
screen to frame the photos, as the 500D in
live view mode.
If you are used to
compact cameras, framing with the LCD is the
standard, while if you come from DSLRs it
may take a bit of time to get used. In some
situations it is a great plus, because it
allows to frame the scene from difficult
angles, but in some situations it is not the
best: in strong light, I found a bit
difficult to use the E-P1 LCD. The screen
quality is not the best, too, it has much
lower resolution than the LCD of modern
SLRs. Olympus has fixed the biggest issue
-lack of viewfinder- in the E-P2, announced
just six months after the E-P1. The E-P2 is
almost identical to the E-P1, but it has an
optional electronic viewfinder: this is a
great plus, because you can use the
viewfinder when you need it, and the LCD
when it is more comfortable, exactly as you
can do with the 500D.
The E-P1 uses
contrast detection AF, while the majority of
DSLR have phase detection. The AF of the
E-P1 is not as fast as the AF of 500D or D90
in phase detection mode, but it is way
better than the AF of these DSLRs when used
in live view (that uses contrast detection
as the MFT cameras). Overall, for moving
subject it is not great, but for static or
slow moving subjects it is more than enough.
It is possible to use manual focus, too,
using a ring on the lens, exactly as you
would do with a SLR.
The user
interface of the E-P1 is good, after few
days I was able to use it without any
problem. The buttons are intuitive and
overall it feels quite responsive; the
continuous shooting of 3 FPS is in
line with the other cameras in its price
class. The lack of mirror makes mirror lock
up no longer necessary; a small but welcome
improvement. It has all the features you may
want: P,S,A,M exposure modes, HD (1280x720
at 30FPS) video, of course live view, a wide
range of ISO sensitivities, RAW and a lot of
customization possibilities.
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Photo taken with Olympus E-P1, Olympus M.Zuiko
14-42 f/3.5-5.6, 1/400 f/7.1, ISO 100, handheld.
Click here to download full resolution!
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The built quality is
excellent - it is made in metal and it
feels really solid; the downside is that
it is quite heavy for such a small
camera. Of course, one of the key
features of the E-P1 is its small size:
the little Olympus gives the same image
quality of a DSLR, while being just a
little bigger than a compact camera. It
is much easier to carry around than a
DSLR, even though it is not truly
"pocket friendly" due to its weight. A
big advantage in comparison with a
compact cameras is that it has
interchangeable lenses: you can use all
Micro 4/3 lenses, plus the "standard
4/3" lenses thanks to an adapter. Thanks
to the in-camera stabilization, every
lens you use is stabilized, a great help
for handheld shooting. Battery life is
good, and with a 32 GB SDHC (the maximum
size supported) you can store more than
two thousand RAW files, that is enough
even for long trips.
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Photo taken with Olympus E-P1, Olympus M.Zuiko
14-42 f/3.5-5.6, 1/60 f/5.6, ISO 400, handheld.
Click here to download full resolution!
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Image quality: noise, comparison
with Canon 7D
I have done a quick
noise comparison between the E-P1 and my
Canon 7D. The 7D is not a direct
competitor of the EP-1 - it is way more
expensive and it is targeted to a
different group of photographers. That
said, the 7D is currently the "state of
art" between APS-C cameras, so it is
interesting to see how the E-P1
compares. The following images are
unprocessed 100% crops.
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Olympus E-P1 |
Canon 7D |
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100 |
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400 |
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1600 |
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6400 |
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The 7D wins, but the
E-P1 is surprisingly good. Up to ISO
400, there is no difference in noise;
the 7D has better image quality at the
highest sensitivities, but even the E-P1
is fully usable up to ISO 1600, and even
3200 if you don't mind some noise.
Olympus has done huge improvements in
image quality in the last years, and the
noise performance of the E-P1 does not
disappoint.
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Photo taken with Olympus E-P1, Olympus M.Zuiko
14-42 f/3.5-5.6, 1/320 f/7.1, ISO 100, handheld.
Click here to download full resolution!
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Indeed, image quality is
one of the strengths of the E-P1. The 12
megapixel sensor gives a lot of
resolution even for large prints, and
the kit lens 14-42 is pretty good, it is
surprisingly sharp and it has an
impressive macro capability. The noise
is well controlled, as shown in the
previous test; dynamic range is much
better than the DR of a compact camera,
while it is slightly worse than the
majority of DSLRs - but I'd say it is
about 1 stop of difference, and you
won't have problems if you don't
overexpose (there is not much margin of
recovery into highlights). My only real
complaint here is the 4:3 aspect ratio:
I really prefer the "classic" 3:2, even
though this it my personal taste.
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Conclusion
The Olympus EP-1 is a
good camera for those who want the image
quality of a reflex, in a much more
compact package. It has some limitations
- so-so autofocus, lack of viewfinder
(now fixed with the E-P2), 4:3 image
format (question of personal
preferences). On the other hand, it has
a competitive price, it has in-camera
image stabilization, it is really
compact (even though it is a bit heavy),
it has professional built quality and a
lot of features.
Do you
have comments or questions?
If you have comments or
questions about this article, feel free to
ask in the
Juza Nature Photography Discussion Forum!
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