Olympus E-P1

Introduction:

The reason E-P1 is different from other cameras of its league is its stylish retro look. Though retro, but it’s not like the bulky cameras of the 60s. Rather the compact body of this camera which is a result of the MFT system reduces bulk by forgoing an SLR’s internal mirror and prism for through-the-lens viewing. The output being – a camera that is significantly smaller and lighter than a DSLR, but with the flexibility of interchangeable lenses and the photo quality that comes from a large image sensor.

The Good:

Striking design; excellent photo quality, unique & sturdy build quality. The most striking feature of the E-P1 is its vintage looks. The looks simply make this camera appear cool as well as professional. With a 12.3 megapixel sensor, the images produced are of excellent quality which preserves the natural colors and minutest details. The only time that the images exhibit noise is when images are clicked at higher ISO settings. But the quality is still much better than what the Canon Rebel T1i and Nikon D5000 would produce.

Apart from the graphics, the sound quality of E-P1 is simply great. The 720p HD movie recording feature is cool and can shoot at 30 frames per second, which of course, speaks for the power of this camera. Even while recording, neither the video quality nor the sound quality seems to be affected due to minor disturbances. And if at all you experience high amount of noise in your images/recordings, there are many art filters which will allow you to apply certain post processing changes with the help of the included software.

Another great feature of this unique camera from Olympus is its ability to slide into a coat pocket or a small bag. With such flexibility and its light weight, you can easily take the camera for outdoor shooting. And as said earlier, the image quality will be much better than any other camera in this league.

The Bad:

Short battery life, low-resolution LCD, absence of on-camera flash and viewfinder, sleepy autofocus.

Actually, the short battery life makes things a bit complicated and that raises more issues. Olympus says that E-P1 can shoot nearly 300 shots per charge but clicking is not the only thing one does with a camera. Also, the missing flash in this camera is a hugh let down. Though there’s a built in flash system, but then such systems are only for the names sake. Without proper flash, a camera cannot provide proper illumination and this exposes the vulnerability of the focusing ability of E-P1.

Also the auto-focus is very slow and sometimes it goes to sleep even in the presence of perfect lighting conditions. Talking about the usability of this camera, the menu system is really frustrating. The most commonly used features which should have been approachable at the first level are actually buried deeper.

Is it worth trying?

The Olympus E-P1 is an excellent enthusiast compact camera which has a very distinguishing retro look. Though it is hampered by some performance issues and the unavailability of flash, but its surely a classy gadget to have. Those who are comfortable with using external flash units and happy with manual controls, the E-P1 is a must have for you.

Price / Where to get it?

The Olympus EP-1 is up for grabs at $799.99, here.

Author Bio: The author Vaibhav Joshi is a digital camera enthusiast. He often relishes his love for photography by clicking snaps with various digital cameras. You can add him as a friend on Facebook.