Olympus E-P1
Olympus E-P1
Originally Posted: June 15, 2009
Last Updated: June 15, 2009
This is a preview of the Olympus E-P1 interchangeable lens camera. The camera described here is not final, so some features described in this article are subject to change. Olympus has asked that photos and movies taken with the camera not be posted. When a production model becomes available, a final review will be posted.
Fifty years ago, Olympus came up with the Pen-series of half-frame film cameras. These cameras were well known for their design, compact size, and photo quality, and ended up selling over 17 million units. The most significant of these models was the PenF, released in 1963. The PenF was the world's first and only interchangeable lens half-frame camera, with twenty F. Zuiko lenses to choose from. In case you're wondering why they were called "Pen", Olympus says it was because "it was small enough to carry with you at all times, with the ability to easily record the events of daily life". Sounds good to me.
The Olympus Pen is back in 2009, this time in digital form. The newE-P1 (starting at $750) has a lot of common with the PenF: it's compact, stylish, and there's a growing selection of lenses to choose from. As you probably figured out by now, the E-P1 uses the Micro Four Thirds standard, which is also used by Panasonic on their Lumix DMC-G1 and E-P1. The Panasonic models aren't a whole lot smaller than a compact D-SLR, but that's not the case with the E-P1: it's not much bigger than say, the Canon PowerShot G10. The two main reasons for the difference in size are the EP-1's much smaller grip and lack of an electronic viewfinder.
Other features on the E-P1 include a 12.3 Megapixel Live MOS sensor, sensor-shift image stabilization, live view on a 3-inch LCD, full manual controls, art filters (gotta have those), a digital level gauge, and a 720p movie mode. It uses a brand new image processor (which improves color rendition, fine detail, and noise suppression) and its metering system has been greatly improved (it's now 324-zone), as well.
The E-P1 will initially be available with two lenses, which Olympus is branding as "M. Zuiko". There's an F2.8, 17 mm "pancake" lens, plus a more traditional F3.5-5.6, 14 - 42 mm zoom lens. The 14 - 42 is rather unique in that it can "collapse", to reduce its size when not in use.
Are you ready to learn about this exciting new interchangeable lens cameras? Then keep reading -- our preview starts right now!
What's in the Box?
The E-P1 will be available in three kits: body only ($750), the body plus the 14 - 42 mm lens ($800), and the body plus the 17 mm pancake lens and its optical viewfinder ($900). The camera will come in two colors (brushed metal and matte white), and the lenses come in two colors (silver and black), as well. Here's what you'll find in the box for each of those kits:
- The 12.3 effective Megapixel Olympus E-P1 camera body
- F2.8, 17 mm M. Zuiko lens [17mm kit only]
- F3.5-5.6, 14 - 42 mm M. Zuiko lens [14-42 kit only]
- BLS-1 lithium-ion battery
- Battery charger
- Optical viewfinder [17mm kit only]
- Body cap
- Shoulder strap
- USB cable
- A/V cable
- CD-ROM featuring Olympus Master software
- Camera manual
As I mentioned, there are two new Micro Four Thirds lenses being launched with the E-P1. I haven't put the lenses through their paces yet, so I can't comment on their quality. The 17mm lens comes with an optical viewfinder that attaches to the camera's hot shoe. Do note that there's no focus synchronization on it -- it's like a rangefinder.
The E-P1 also works with the four other Micro Four Thirds lenses on the market, all of which are made by Panasonic. They include:
- F4.0, 7 - 14 mm Lumix G Vario
- F4.0-5.8, 14 - 140 mm Lumix G Vario HD IS
- F3.5-5.6, 14 - 45 mm Lumix G Vario IS
- F4.0-5.6, 45 - 200 mm Lumix G Vario IS
Do note that you'll need to turn off the image stabilizers on those lenses, as the E-P1 already has that built-in!
The E-P1 also works with "legacy" Four Thirds lenses, via an optional adapter (listed below). Some of the older ones may not support autofocus, though. But wait -- there's more. You can also use classic Olympus OM lenses via another optional adapter, and all of these lenses will be manual focus only. If that's still not enough, I don't see any reason why you can't use Panasonic's Leica R and M-mount adapters, as well.
Regardless of what lens you have attached to the E-P1, there will be a 2X focal length conversion ratio. Thus, a 50mm lens has a 100mm field-of-view.
Digital SLRs and now interchangeable lens cameras never include memory cards, so you'll need to pick one up right away. Much to my amazement, the E-P1 doesn't use xD memory cards (huge sigh of relief), instead opting for the much more common (not to mention faster) SD and SDHC format. I'd recommend picking up a 4GB SDHC card, and perhaps a larger one if you'll be taking a lot of video clips. It's worth spending a little extra for a high speed card, as well.
The E-P1 uses the same BLS-1 lithium-ion battery as several of Olympus's digital SLRs. This battery packs 8.3 Wh of energy into its plastic shell, which is pretty good for a camera this size. Here's how that translates into battery life -- for live view only, of course:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It's hard to draw conclusions about how the E-P1's battery life compares to other interchangeable lens cameras, since most manufacturers don't publish live view battery life numbers. The E-P1's battery life is comparable to the two Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras on the market, and quite a bit better than the two D-SLRs for which I have numbers.
I should point out a few things about the proprietary batteries used by the E-P1 and every other camera on the above list. For one, they're pretty expensive -- you'll spend at least $42 for a spare battery. Also, should your rechargeable battery run out of juice, you can't use an off-the-shelf battery to get you through the day.
This may be pretty obvious, but Olympus won't be offering a battery grip for the E-P1.
When it's time to charge the BLS-1 battery, just pop it into the included charger. This is one of the slower chargers out there, taking 3.5 hours to power up the battery. This isn't one of those charges that plugs directly into the wall - you must use a power cable.
 |  |
| Camera with new FL-14 flash (which does not bounce, by the way) | An old school body jacket and strap are available options |
The E-P1 has a decent amount of accessories, and I'm sure there are more to come. Here's what I can tell you about right now:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hopefully I'll have pricing and a few more accessories in this table by the time the final review is posted. One option that doesn't appear to exist: an AC adapter.
I'll save my discussion of the E-P1's software bundle and documentation for the final review.
출처 : http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/olympus/e_p1-review
댓글 없음:
댓글 쓰기