Olympus Micro-4/3 "Digital Pen": swing and a miss

<p>Eric: No viewfinder and no swivel LCD. Case closed for me. :(</p>

<p>Imagine how you would have to use the EP-1 to take this shot.</p>

<p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2447/3661368172_d044a8d093_o.jpg" alt="" width="525" height="700" /><br>

<em>"This T-Shirt Will Survive Anything"</em> Taken with a G1 and Computar-TV 25/1.3 lens<br>

(the articulating LCD was used for framing/focus. Camera was at waist level)</p>

<p>Vivek:</p>

<p>Ahh. Guess I don't understand knocking it for something it obviously doesn't include. In that case, most DSLRs would get bad ratings, too, since you'd have to bend over to look through the viewfinder. Or shoot "blind" by holding it down low and not looking through the viewfinder.</p>

<p>Eric</p>

<p>Eric: The bottomline is money. The G1 kit currently is at 464 Euros with all the trimmings. The EP-1 kit (stick your arm out to make a snap) is 799 Euros. </p>

<p>I choose utility over style.</p>

<p>Should it not rather look like this?<br>

<br /><a rel="nofollow" href="http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/e_p1/imgs/b/a/baa1a871.jpg" target="_blank"><strong>http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/e_p1/imgs/b/a/baa1a871.jpg<br /></strong></a><br>

:-)</p>

<p>"Imagine how you would have to use the EP-1 to take this shot."<br>

You have to be kidding me.<br>

I would focus at 8 feet at f/8-f/11 and take it from waist or chest level without even looking at the camera or slowing down. Same as I shoot with 40 year old cameras. After the first 100 rolls of film you get better at it.<br>

I have an EP-1 and it works fine for this type of photography (at least it did Saturday when that's exactly what I was shooting with it). I bought it more as a electronic platform for my Pen F lenses but in its own right it takes very good photos.</p>

<p>Joseph, if you were in,say, a coffee shop, and shooting incognito, 'is the shutter sound fairly moderate, in your opinion? Maybe one could cook up a little angle mirror gizmo behind the LCD or even a way to look down into the LCD---James Bond wise. I now have the right angle finder for my E-1 and it has possibilities.</p>

<p>But of course, you are right about waist level shooting once one gets the hang of it.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I would focus at 8 feet at f/8-f/11 and take it from waist or chest level without even looking at the camera or slowing down. Same as I shoot with 40 year old cameras. After the first 100 rolls of film you get better at it.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Been there, done that and don't wanna do it anymore. That shot was taken at f/2, btw.</p>

<p>I have even <strong>older </strong> cameras and they do allow me to compose and focus at waist level. They are called TLRs.</p>