What do we hope for in Olympus's first micro thirds?- (a trick question.)

<p>First posted review/impressions/specs for the Olympus EP-1<br /> <a href="http://fourthirdsphoto.com/e-p1Preview/index.php" target="new">fourthirdsphoto.com/e-p1Preview</a><br /><br /> Looks like exactly what I've been waiting for. :-)</p>

<p>It will be hard to resist with the 17 mm F 2.8 ( I can shoot at F 2.8 happily), the optical finder. And for now I can use my little FL 20 and fit the lot in a small Mountainsmith bag. My pockets are too durn sagging already , thanks. And a holiday travel dream. Oh well, another battery charger. I give....<br /> Olympus is willing to go into their old/new bag and yank out something that says " Surprise!." A girl jumping out of a big cake like in the movie 'Singin in the Rain." A tasty morsel from the look of it.</p>

<p>Same company that made a curious thing called the " O product Look it up. A real lolapalooza..I sense that the O engineers have fun.. aloha nui, gs</p>

<p>yea well hopfully alot of people with want to upgrade from their panasonic G1s and ill find alot of them on eBay soon that i can afford..lol</p>

<p>I just got the email from Olympus. They are Definitely calling it a Penn. That is so cool<br>

<a rel="nofollow" href="http://email.olympus.com/c.html?rtr=on&s=hub,10tlk,1k79,kcbn,6kxm,go1,alug" target="_blank">Experience the new Olympus PEN. </a> | <a rel="nofollow" href="http://email.olympus.com/c.html?rtr=on&s=hub,10tlk,1k79,lk7k,4u7i,go1,alug&MLM_MID=1717976&MLM_MLID=72837&MLM_SITEID=23123&MLM_UNIQUEID=0546178d18" target="_blank">View the images in this email. </a> </p>

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<td width="457" height="95" valign="top" bgcolor="#e5edf4"><strong>Not a Point & Shoot . Not an SLR ... It's a PEN.</strong> In 1959, Olympus designed a camera with the photographic optics of an SLR and the size and simplicity of a point-and-shoot -- revolutionizing the way we take pictures. After 50 years, the PEN is back. And it's mightier than ever. Introducing the new Olympus PEN . It's totally digital, and offers unique and groundbreaking technology to a whole new generation of camera users.</td>

<td><img src="http://www.olympusamerica.com/crm/sp/2009/e-p1/images/ep1opr_06.gif" alt="" width="111" height="95" /></td>

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<td colspan="2" valign="top" bgcolor="#e5edf4">The PEN provides superior optics, interchangeable lenses and multimedia capabilities -- and combines the creative freedom of a sophisticated digital SLR with the simple controls and small size of a point-and-shoot.<br /> <br /> <strong>> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://email.olympus.com/c.html?rtr=on&s=hub,10tlk,1k79,1abp,cwzm,go1,alug" target="_blank">Check out sample images, videos and more from the new Olympus PEN. </a> </strong></td>

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<p>Thanks for pointing out the lens di Gorgeous - at least SOMETHING is available even though it's not perfect. And it sure would be nice if everyone spoke about lenses in 35mm equivelent terms - I was wondering why everyone was talking about such small lenses on this thread.</p>

<p>On the other hand, I think I might have to wait until next Spring when Olympus will be introducing 'a wide zoom or high magnification zoom.' Maybe they will do better in the size department.<a href="http://www.dpreview.com/news/0906/09061600watanabeinterview.asp">http://www.dpreview.com/news/0906/09061600watanabeinterview.asp</a><br />Olympus seems more concerned with compact size than Panasonic. When I went to look at the G1, I was shocked at the size - they produced a puffed up body that seemed to be filled with air. What a waste of the technology.</p>

<p>Thank you for your insightful prejudice. You provide ongoing amusement, John.</p>

<p>u2</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Gerry Siegel wrote: Aside comment to Miserere. When you get back your 'financial sea legs' - ,soon I do indeed hope, Miz, I know you will indulge downstream with a sharp mini model..new or even liightly used. Oly or Panasonic, the new generation duo. they have grabbed on to something that will compete for buyers starting out.</p>

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<p>Thank you for your good wishes, Gerry. Maybe in a year or so I'll be able to pick one of these Olys up. The Panny G1 doesn't attract me in the least, but the E-P1 does. I wouldn't use it for everything, but I think it would make a fantastic street camera, which is exactly what I want it for. It's not perfect, and I would prefer an f/1.8 lens or faster, but specs-wise it has surpassed my minimum buying requirements, especially with a $900 price tag for the camera + 35mm-equiv pancake + viewfinder.</p>

<p>Go Oly for being innovative by going retro :-) (If Olympus wants to license this slogan they can contact me <a href="../photodb/user?user_id=3835437">here</a> .)</p>

<p>Good luck, Miz. It's tight times everywhere, I know your pain. </p>

<p>I don't think the EP-1 is the camera for everything, but it would complement my work nicely for certain things. I am in no hurry to buy anything ... I look forward to seeing one in the flesh and will then decide whether it suits me.</p>

<p>The G1 has done very well for my work thus far, I'm glad I spent the money on one. It was a lot considering where the economy is, but its returned what I spent several times over already.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Thanks Godfrey! By the time I can afford the E-P1 there will be lots of reviews on the net, including yours, so I'll be able to decide what to do.</p>

<p>As for the G1, I can imagine you would make it profitable a lot sooner than I ever would! :-D</p>

<p>Off to tighten my belt one more notch...</p>

<p>Now that the nature of the 'beast' ( can we call it a Hobbit camera?) has been finally revealed, we see the usual ayes and nayes and a few cautious ah shucks maybes.</p>

<p>I have found personally that 'make or break' must -haves for me have turned out to be not so make or break after all.E.g: When I decided to get something with a bigger chimping screen than my C 5050 I looked for a small one that would have multiple manual controls and a nice hand grip feel. My decision was to get a Nikon Coolpix P5000 because it had an optical finder and a flash shoe. Since I bought ,it a year ago, I find that I usually shoot with the LCD screen in back. Though I felt I needed a moderate zoom lens, I note that most of the time I keep it on a 28 mm equivalent. its widest and fastest. AndI use the P mode more than I ever have before- the AE function is that good....The flash shoe and the small flash gun are a no compromise thing with me. I use it a lot. Nice flash Nikon made with tilt bulb. Smart folk gotta hand it to Nikon lately.</p>

<p>Thus, the specifications on the EP-1, with the 17mm lens and the popular SD cards make it a derby winner. Can I find something to gripe about? Well, you bet your bippy I can.. As Fred Herzberg wrote in his book on motivation in the workplace, the list of dissatisfiers in life is endless. And the things that motivate/lastingly please are much fewer.</p>

<p>What features then have only ephemeral value for you? What are make or break in any primary or secondary in the arsenal photo machine from Olympus? (trade- off wise we are speaking,not pie in the sky stuff)</p>

<p>I dunno, Gerry. It looks very nice to me as is.</p>

<p>I'll know better whether my hands and eyes get on with the EP-1 after I see one in the flesh. No reading of specifications will tell me that. (Of course, just in case they do, I did find a nice used <i>Voigtländer Viewfinder 75</i> so I'll have an optical viewfinder for my 40mm lens as well as for the 17mm ... ]'-)</p>

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<p>... used <em>Voigtländer Viewfinder 75</em> so I'll have an optical viewfinder ...</p>

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<p>The aspect ratio is different from 4/3, no?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>It's set up for 35mm film cameras, with 2:3 framing proportions.</p>

<p>A 40mm lens on FourThirds format nets very close to the same vertical angle of view (about 18.9 deg vs 18.2 deg for 75mm on film) and just a little narrower on the horizontal AoV .. 24 deg vs 27 degrees. A little bit of silver masking tape and it will be nearly perfect. I might not even mask it as I tend to frame pretty square regardless of what format I'm working with. </p>

<p>I figure I can use it with the L1 too. It's less useful for the G1 since that has such a good EVF; I tend to use the L1's Live View to nail the focus with the 40 and then swap to the optical viewfinder for framing and exposure when I'm focusing critically.</p>

I want a full time optical viewfinder. Why does it only work with the 17mm lens?

<p>Because Lou. there are only 2 lenses for it right now and the other is a zoom lens, which would be awkward and imprecise to keep matching it with the taking lens, since there would be no way to sync them.<br>

Just think RANGE FINDER in older film terms and it makes sence.</p>

<p>Lou, you could get one of those old Leica viewfinders that zooms... but the widest they go is like 35mm I think. I'm betting that as (if) Olympus introduces more primes they will introduce new viewfinders to go along with them. It's one heck of a way to make $100 extra every time someone buys a prime lens... which is something that only "pros" (and wannabe pros) will consider anyway since everyday Joe can't stand to be "trapped" behind a single focal length apparently.</p>

<p>About the size of a 35RC body<br /> Small primes: 11mm f2.8, 17mm f2, 25mm f2, 50mm f2; all lens accessory thread sizes the same in these four lenses. How about 43mm? Just like the old Pen F.<br /> LCD on top with clip for waist level finder, magnifed chimney finder, right angle(eye level) finder. When you push each finder on an electrical contact puts the screen into the correct orientation for right side up-left to right viewing.<br /> Many lens adapters at reasonable prices. (China?)<br /> A shutter speed dial! Please please please, no press button-spin control dial-read shutter speed on screen, just gimme the damm dial with the speeds marked on it!<br /> Ditto for a real aperture ring on the lens. Even if aperture control is fly by wire give it the feel of the old mechanical linkage.<br /> And, I'd rather have 5 million great pixels than 12 million crummy pixels.<br /> A cheap, easy to plug in, wired electrical release. If Olympus wants to develop a fragile, battery eating, radio or IR remote release they can be my guest. Just don't try to sell it to me for an 800% markup because I'm NOT interested.<br /> Well, I think that about wraps up the essentials.</p>

<p>Yes and a way to offer manually, precisely were we want the focus to be!</p>

<p>How about some manufacture start to make PenF lenses and just supply the short macro extention tube that would let it be used on the new Penn. After all its the same dam mount. IF we can have some new Manual focus lenses that can be used on both, that would be so cool. Beter yet, olympus start up production of those old Zuiko lenses again, that would be sweet.</p>