« [REVIEW—PENTAX K7 DSLR] | Main | [REVIEW—OLYMPUS E-620 DSLR] »
August 22, 2009
[TWO LITTLE BEAUTIES]
Back in the early days of this century, Olympus and Kodak worked together to create a digital camera system that was more than just a reworked film camera. Olympus had no legacy auto-focus lenses such as Nikon and Canon had, so they were free to conceive a new system, which they called Four Thirds.
It was to be an “open” system, meaning that any manufacturer who joined the Four Thirds group undertook to make their lenses and accessories compatible with all other group cameras. So far only Olympus and Panasonic/Leica have produced cameras and Sigma makes a few lenses.
The Four Thirds sensor is smaller than the conventional APS sensor used in Nikon, Canon, Pentax and Sony cameras. Its diagonal dimension is exactly half that of a 35mm film frame. This fact has had camera reviewers and photographers excited about the possibility of smaller cameras with interchangeable lenses and higher image quality than compact cameras can produce. There has been a quiet clamour for a professional compact. And now we have it.
Well, we have two. They are called Micro Four Thirds cameras and both Panasonic and Olympus are making them.
Panasonic was first in the shops with their pseudo-SLR Lumix DMCG1. By removing the mirror/prism from an SLR and substituting an electronic viewfinder the bulk of the camera is reduced. But not by much. The G1 is not much smaller than the smallest Olympus and Pentax SLRs.
This year a new version of the camera, the GH1, was launched, incorporating high definition video. The version we have been using with a 14-140mm zoom(28-280mm film equivalent) costs an eye-watering $3300. The G1, without video, has a more reasonable $1430 price tag.
The AVCHD video from the GH1 is brilliant and it is immediately replayable on a current Panasonic TV or BluRay player. Just put the SD memory card in the TV or player slot and the video plays back in glorious high definition.
However, this is not the camera that the clamourers had in mind. They wanted a high quality still camera with interchangeable lenses in a compact body, not a new style of SLR. And Olympus has delivered with the E-P1. (RRP $1400 with 14-42mm lens) The first thing that most experienced photographers say when they pick up this exquisitely made, heavy, metal-skinned beauty is: “Wow! A real camera!” It looks and feels like a top quality camera from the seventies, but it is much more. And also less – it doesn't have a viewfinder, unless you count the optional accessory 17mm fixed angle finder. You are stuck with the LCD for framing.
The image quality from the E-P1 is superb, which is not surprising considering that Olympus have stuffed the workings of their excellent E-620 DSLR into this small body. This is SLR quality from a camera that will fit in a (commodious) pocket.
We had the camera for a week and fell in love with it. You can see test photos here: http://terryl.jalbum.net/E-P1/ We will have more to say about the Olympus E-P1.
Posted by terry at August 22, 2009 10:56 AM
Worth Checking Out
Digital Cameras SydneyComments
I look forward to your promised future comments on the E-P1. There have been many different commentaries on it. I would have bought one, but for the problem of an optical view finder. I guess that is the crux of the 3/4 ths platform. Then I saw rumours of an E-P2 to come out at the end of the year, and another rumour that there would be an electrical viewfinder to attach to the horseshoe. As you might surmise, I am ignorant on the technicalities. But would it be possible in a camera like this to have a little window in the body of the camera that shows you what your image will roughly look like, as the back display does?
Posted by: Richard at September 23, 2009 08:36 PM