Olympus PEN E-P1 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 17mm f/2.8 Lens and Viewfinder (Silver)
It is quite interesting, how we change our thinking and behavioral patterns in a short span of time. Just a decade back most of us had bulky looking film cameras, although the era of digital cameras had started. Today, we have plenty of sleek, digital cameras.
Olympus has come up with its Pen series of digital cameras which have been designed in a retro manner - a version that makes us, take a trip back in time once again. Now, just because it looks retro doesn’t mean that the 12.3 megapixel E-PL1 is bulky and huge. Unlike the normal sleek cameras which slip out of your hands, this one sits easily on your palm and at the same time doesn’t feel like a rock. But it’s not something that can be carried in your pocket.
Going to its physical features, the body looks pretty robust with a black plastic hand-grip on the front of the camera to keep the device steady. The rear end has a 2.7" LCD screen which seems quite small going by the overall size of the device. With it, there is an array of buttons to access the menu, play, navigate etc. At the top, we have a stylish flash which pops open when a button slides. Along with it we also have a hotshot which can be used to attach an external flash or electronic viewfinder. And just before we forget it, the rear end also houses a recording button for HD videos which allows instant, one-touch filming at 720p.
Its screen has a Super Control Panel which lets you change all the important settings (you don’t have to go to the menu for this). Four of the commonly-used functions - exposure compensation, focusing mode, flash and drive mode — have their own dedicated buttons on the navigation buttons. Where it scores over other digital cameras is its interchangeable lens feature which helps it capture amazing shots with whatever type of lens you wish to, but, only when the subject is not in motion. Even the kit lens which is around 14-42mm, gives it almost a DSLR sort of effect to play with.
But, how does it perform? Does it give us impressive shots even in difficult conditions? Is it worth chucking away the new-age cameras in exchange for this retro bundle? Then here is the list of the reviews captured so far, for its ‘captures’:
1) The performance is pretty decent in normal light. But in trying conditions, the camera takes its own sweet time to process.
2) Those who love to click from moving cars; better stay away from this one.
3) The quality of the stills is absolutely superb, almost at par with the digital SLRs. It captures colors brilliantly and even the minute details can be figured out with ease.
4) The E-PL1 gives you six ISO levels and if you’re using the highest setting of ISO 3200, the shots will be fine as long as you don’t blow them up into a poster.
5) For night photography enthusiasts, this one lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 60 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times as long as 30 minutes. This feature obviously gives you a lot of leeway when you’re experimenting with crazy light and capturing night shots.
6) The image stabilizer works well when used in low-light conditions and even if you’re using 1/5th the shutter speed, it manages to eliminate shake. Though the 12.3 MP image is a bit soft a little editing can make it a perfect shot.
7) The Enlarged Display function helps in manual focusing. Select your focus mode and press the zoom-in button repeatedly until a green rectangle appears in the middle of the display. Now, you can move this rectangle to any part of your screen and magnify it by pressing zoom-in again. You can raise this magnification up to 10x or 14x by pressing the Info button. This is real, non-interpolated magnification which can be very useful for accurate manual focusing.
This camera is particularly suitable for people who love to dabble in photography but are a little intimidated by the heavy duty DSLRs.
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