Asian in a Strange Land

After using the E-P1 extensively for the past few days I feel that I have a good grasp of what it’s about, so I’m putting together a mini-review based on my experiences so far.  For those of you not used to reading camera reviews by outfits such as DPReview, Imaging Resource, DCResource, etc., this will seem like a very long review.  The camera nerds among us know better though.  The standard DPReview… er… review is 32 (!) pages long, so I classify this as a mini-review, even though it will most likely be the longest post I’ve written on this blog to date once I’m through with it.

Because other sites do such a terrific job hyper-analyzing every last aspect of image quality down to pixel-peeping levels, measuring shutter lag times down to the closest millisecond, etc., I won’t be replicating that work.  Imaging Resource already has a set of test images taken at various ISO and noise reduction settings, so they’re a good source of that info at the moment.  I’m not equipped to anyway, even if I wanted to.  So obviously if you’re expecting a lot of pretty charts, spec sheets, 100% crops, etc., then don’t waste your time reading.  This review will be from the perspective of an end-user (me) who just wants a particular type of camera, and I’ll explore the positives and negatives of the E-P1 from my perspective.  Very subjective, and definitely draw your own conclusions, but I hope the info I provide will be helpful in making your own deal-or-no-deal decision on the E-P1.

PHYSICAL DESIGN AND FEATURES

The E-P1 is a unique camera that combines a large sensor typically found in Digital Single-Lens Reflex cameras (DSLRs), interchangeable lenses, and a small, compact-camera-like chassis.  It uses the Micro Four Thirds (m4/3) lens mount, which means it can use any lens designed for the m4/3 system.  Panasonic is the other active participant in m4/3, and they have 4 lenses available, which added to Olympus’s 2 makes a total of 6 lenses to choose from. It’s a system that only started last year, so as a fledgling system it’s understandable that the lens selection isn’t where it needs to be just yet.

Somewhat confusingly for newcomers to the terminology, the m4/3 sensor is actually the same size as regular 4/3 system’s.  The “Micro” in “Micro Four Thirds” refers to the distance between the lens mount and the sensor, which in m4/3 is significantly shorter than regular 4/3 because it doesn’t use a mirror like in DSLRs.  This allows m4/3 cameras and lenses to be smaller and lighter than equivalent DSLRs.

The large sensor is unique because its inclusion here makes the E-P1 either the smallest camera with at least a 4/3-sized sensor, or a camera with the largest sensor in a compact body, depending on whether you’re coming at it from a DSLR or a compact camera point of view.  It is thus uniquely placed as a compromise between the pros and cons of both DSLRs and compacts, obviously aiming to maximize the benefits of both, namely DSLR image quality and compact portability.

The large-sensor-small-body combination opens up possibilities never before seen in digital photography.  Before the E-P1 if you wanted a small camera you had to sacrifice image quality, and conversely if you wanted great image quality you had to deal with large cameras.  Sometimes quality is more important than size, and sometimes bigger is actually better.  For instance, when I’m the paid/official photographer at some gig, considerate people will give me room if I roll up with a 5D + grip, 24-70 f/2.8L, and 580EX II + CP-E4 (if that number-alphabet soup didn’t mean anything to you, suffice it to say this is a big, professional-looking rig).  Big is good when it pays to look like a pro (the camera is in fact the least important aspect of being a true pro, but that discussion is best left for another time).  But sometimes smaller is better, like at music festivals or concerts where a DSLR would never get in the venue without a press pass, or when you’re trying to get candids and a big honkin’ camera + lens causes people to act differently (don’t ask me why, but they do).  It’s for those times that I’d often wished for a small camera that didn’t make huge compromises in the image quality department, and that’s the E-P1′s appeal for my use.

So how small is the E-P1?  Here are a couple of shots of it with 17mm f/2.8 lens attached, sandwiched between a Panasonic TZ5 compact and a Canon 5D DSLR with 35mm f/1.4L lens:

In case you’re wondering, I didn’t stack the odds to make the E-P1 look even smaller by putting a huge lens on the 5D.  The 35mm f/1.4L lens I have on the 5D is my 2nd smallest Canon lens, and it’s on there because it’s my most used one and just happened to be attached. You can see that the E-P1 isn’t much bigger than the TZ5 (an average-sized compact) but is much smaller than the 5D, although if you’re not familiar with the cameras in question the comparison might not mean much.  In more generally-understandable terms, the E-P1 is definitely pocketable if you detach the lens, and jacket- or cargo-pants-pocketable if you leave a lens on it.  Not tiny, but small enough for a pocket while large enough to be comfortable to use.

Aesthetically speaking there’s no doubt that this is a gorgeous camera.  The brushed metal exterior of the “silver” version gives it a timeless, classic look.  I’m glad Olympus gets it.  Photography, practiced at any level that transcends mere snapshots and documentation, is an activity that not only makes demands on the intellect but also on the heart.  The E-P1′s design speaks to that subjective, personal, emotional, sensual aspect of photography.  Looking at and holding the E-P1 makes me want to create photos.  Many will roll their eyes at such a sentimental statement in this cynical post-modern society, but to me it’s strange how little emphasis there is on beautiful design of the very tools of this beautiful art.  Cold efficiency is great for bulldozers and jackhammers, but there ought to be at least some consideration of beautiful design for cameras.

The beauty here thankfully isn’t skin deep.  This beautiful exterior houses a bevy of useful features as well.  Here are a few of the features I’ve found significant and/or unusual–worth mentioning in any case:

• Interchangeable lenses.  You can swap out lenses on the E-P1 to suit the shooting situation you’re in.  It’s the smallest camera to date that has this feature.  Because of the mirrorless m4/3 specification, the lenses are much smaller then equivalent DSLR lenses.  When changing lenses on my 5D I’m used to holding one lens against my body with my arm while detaching the one on the camera.  With the E-P1 I can hold both lenses in one hand at the same time.  But if you want to you can use big DSLR lenses on it too with the right adapter.  There are already adapters to m4/3 for 4/3 mount, EF (Canon), F (Nikon), K (Pentax), M (Leica), C (cine), etc., making the m4/3 format the most adaptable mount to date.  If you have some older manual lenses lying around, chances are there’s an adapter for it and you can use it on the E-P1.
• In-camera image stabilization–the physical kind, not the fake type where the camera just bumps up the ISO to get a higher shutter speed, which is what some compact cameras do.  This image stabilization actually moves the sensor to compensate for shaky hands, enabling one to take handheld photos (vs. using a tripod) at much lower shutter speeds and still get a sharp image.  Because it’s in-camera, any lens you attach to the E-P1 will be stabilized.  The E-P1 can take “legacy” lenses of other mount types, and even those lenses are stabilized.
• Quiet shutter.  There’s no mirror slap sound like you’d expect with a DSLR, and the shutter sound is a nicely damped “shnick-shnick” type of sound.  No loud “clack-clack” action here.  Small size and quiet shutter combine to help you stay incognito instead of drawing attention to your big and loud DSLR.
• Sensor dust removal.  This is common fare these days on DSLRs, but Olympus is widely recognized as having the best system out there.
• No viewfinder.  This is a deal-breaker for some people, as some are so used to bringing the camera up to their eye and looking through a viewfinder that the lack of one on the E-P1 renders it unusable.  I’m not one of those people.  I would still like to see a good optional electronic viewfinder that can be slotted into the flash hotshoe mount, but the LCD on the back is usable enough for composing photos, even in the bright summer Mississippi sun.  Viewed a different way, using the LCD to compose images can be a plus as well.  I was able to take pictures of my plate of food at a restaurant without getting up from my seat, because I could hold the camera out, point it downward, and see the image on the back LCD.
• Low-resolution LCD.  This is a bigger minus than the lack of viewfinder.  Since the LCD is the only way to compose the shot, it really should’ve been a higher resolution LCD as is used on many new DSLRs, even entry level ones like the Canon T1i.  It’s hard to tell if something is exactly in focus, and this will become a bigger problem once larger aperture prime lenses are available for m4/3 as depth of field will be smaller with those lenses and accurate focusing more crucial.

INTERFACE AND USABILITY

With the small size comes challenges in maintaining usability.  I believe Olympus have done everything possible to squeeze as many dials, wheels, and buttons on the camera while keeping them from being too cramped together, but there are some issues that they can (and hopefully will) still address on the software side to compensate for the relative lack of direct button controls on the E-P1 compared to a typical DSLR.  We’ll get to that a little later.

The interface is mostly very good.  Almost every essential shooting parameter is available as a single button press instead of scrolling through multiple menus like most compacts require you to do.  To wit, aperture and shutter speed are controlled by one of the 2 dials, while autofocus mode, ISO, white balance, drive (single shot, continuous, timer, etc.), and exposure compensation are all a button press away.  No digging through menus for any of those settings.  The only shooting parameter I consider essential that isn’t on a dial or dedicated button is the metering mode (evaluative, center weighted, spot meter, etc.), but you can make it basically be a button press away by leaving the Live View Menu (activated by the OK button) on metering mode so whenever you press OK while in Live View you go straight to the metering mode selection.

The camera’s buttons and info screens are highly customizable, almost too much so.  The upshot of this is that you can setup the camera to work exactly the way you want it to, within reason of course.  For instance, you can even change dial directions so that to increase aperture you can go either clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on your settings.  For the über-nerds out there, this is a real boon.  Photographers are a picky lot, and once they get used to cameras working a certain way they don’t want to deal with change.  Being able to setup dials and buttons to act the way you’re used to is almost a must-have feature for “serious” photographers.

One very nice touch is the separate AEL/AFL button that can be configured to either lock exposure (Auto Exposure Lock – AEL) or lock focus (Auto Focus Lock – AFL).  To my knowledge this is also a first in a compact camera.  Separating out the autofocus lock from the shutter release button is exactly how I have my Canon DSLRs set up.  This is highly desirable in the E-P1 because in certain situations it can overcome the E-P1′s not-too-speedy autofocus.

That’s not to say the interface will please everybody.  The interface isn’t without flaws.  For example, the “Fn” button can be programmed to do a number of different things, albeit only one function at a time.  The options are face detect, depth of field preview, set custom white balance, AF area home position, manual focus, image size (RAW, JPEG, and what resolution), test picture without saving, “My Mode” (preset group of settings), and LCD backlight.  Wow, that list is impressive.  A programmable button that you can set to do any of those things–what’s not to like, right?  The problem is that, as previously stated, you can only set the Fn button to do one of those things at any given time (it can’t multi-task), and inexplicably some of those functions are only accessible if you have them set to the Fn button.  For instance, I have it set to turn the LCD on and off to save battery power.  But there are times when I’d like to do a depth of field preview or I might want to set a custom white balance.  No way to do that except by going in the menu, changing what the Fn button does, then using the Fn button.  There really is no reason why these functions couldn’t also be mapped to a menu option so that if you have Fn set to do one function you can still access the other Fn-button-assignable functions.

Another clunky interface issue is viewing consecutive images while zoomed in. I often take multiple similar shots in a row if I want to make sure I get one that’s properly in focus.  On my Canon DSLRs I can zoom in to see detail in a captured image, then use the dial to go from image to image while maintaining the image zoom rate and position (zoomed in on a person’s eye in a portrait, for instance, making sure it’s in focus), all the while still able to change the zoom position whenever I want.  On the E-P1, it’s a complicated button dance to be able to switch between images while zoomed in at all, and changing the image zoom position requires a further rhythmic finger ritual to get it working.  Guys, there’s a wheel back there that isn’t doing anything while all of this is happening!  Why can’t that wheel switch from image to image?  Feature change in a firmware update, please.

Something that doesn’t affect me but affects others who use these features a lot is the various bracketing features like exposure and ISO bracketing being buried deep in the menu.  A DPReview forum member claimed it takes 26 button presses to activate exposure bracketing.  I counted 14 myself, but the point remains–that’s a lot of button presses to get to a feature many people use.  Other bracketing options are similarly deeply buried in the menus.

A lot of this interface-driven angst would be alleviated by a “My Menu” option like Canon does, where users can select their most oft-used functions and put them in a separate My Menu screen.  Firmware update, please.

As for feel, it’s weird to me using a camera this small.  Since 2003 I’ve been a DSLR-only user, so going to a compact form factor threw me off at first.  The first day I had the camera I made my right hand sore from trying to do the hand-gymnastics required to hold the camera and manipulate the controls at the same time.  The next day was much better as I adjusted to the reality of the small interface and relaxed my hand instead of contorting to maintain the muscle memory of doing things the DSLR way.  I have small hands and even so initially had trouble handling the camera, so those with big meaty paws might be better served looking elsewhere.  Portable means nothing if it’s too small to use comfortably.

I also had to stop lifting the camera to my eye to take pictures as if it had a viewfinder on it.  Old habits die hard.

One usability aspect that I wouldn’t have thought about until I had used the E-P1 for a few days is the positioning of the shutter release button and camera strap lugs, and how they affect how you hold and use the camera.  On a DSLR the shutter release button is positioned further forward on the camera so you can put your thumb on the back of the camera and your index finger on the other side of the strap lug to press the shutter release.  On the E-P1 the shutter release is further back inline with the strap lug, so I’ve ended up with the strap lug between my index and middle fingers.  If I try to hold it DSLR-style I end up pressing my palm and index finger hard against the strap lug, which doesn’t work for me.  Maybe people with bigger hands shoot a different way.  It’s just something I’ve never had to think about with DSLRs because there’s pretty much only one way to hold them.  I might end up removing the D-rings from the lugs and go with a wrist strap attached with a string to the lug, which hopefully would get the strap out of the way much better than the neck strap is now.

AUTOFOCUS

This could go under usability, but it’s become something of a hot-button topic amongst E-P1 earlier adopters and naysayers alike, so I’m addressing it in its own section. Let’s cut to the chase–the E-P1 autofocus is slow.

Now that that’s out of the way let’s qualify that statement and put it in context.  How slow is “slow”?  With the 14-42mm kit lens it’s probably on par with the fastest compact cameras; the 17mm is a bit faster; and I’ve seen a YouTube video of an E-P1 and Panasonic 14-140mm lens combo focusing very quickly.  The focusing speed is obviously very lens dependent, and as Olympus come out with faster focusing lenses the E-P1′s autofocus will be snappier.  For now with available Olympus lenses, know that AF speed is one of the E-P1′s weaknesses.

This slow AF extends to continuous autofocus too.  The camera does this kind of back-and-forth dance to keep focus on a moving target, and it doesn’t work very well.  This is not a sports camera.

Despite the slow speed, I’ve found it able to focus even in relative darkness (think f/2.8, 1/5s, ISO 3200) as long as there’s something with a decent amount of contrast.  For example, in these light levels I can focus on a brass doorknob on a brown door, but I can’t focus on the bevel lines of the door–too little contrast.  That’s more than acceptable for me.  And when AF fails, there’s always manual focus.  Using an LCD instead of an optical viewfinder is a real plus here, as the LCD makes the subject brighter when in dim light, making it easier to manually focus.

Because of the slow AF, I won’t be getting rid of my fast focusing DSLRs anytime soon.  But as with any camera quirk or weakness, it’s just a matter of knowing it’s there and working around it, or choosing a better tool for the job if fast autofocus is required.  No camera is perfect; no camera is everything to every man.

IMAGE QUALITY

I shoot RAW and process in Lightroom 2 normally, so that’s what I’m used to.  Unfortunately Lightroom doesn’t support E-P1 RAW files just yet, so I’ve been shooting RAW + JPEG and looking at the JPEG output for now.  I’ll reserve final image quality judgment until I see what Lightroom 2 does with the RAW files, but even the JPEGs are showing very good image quality.

The noise signature is possibly the most film-like I’ve seen.  “Film-like” is a term that gets used way, way, way too often, and I usually roll my eyes when I read it.  I’ve used various Canon cameras, and I wouldn’t describe the noise characteristics of any of them to be “film-like”.  The 5D comes the closest to that.  But believe it or not the humble E-P1 has the most film-like noise quality of all digital cameras I’ve used, in that the noise specks more resemble analog grain than other cameras.  In other cameras I’ve used you can see the grain degrade into short horizontal and vertical lines, whereas the grain of the E-P1 looks more uniformly random and less digital-looking.  The E-P1′s grain quality makes the noise less objectionable and possibly easier to clean up, which I won’t know for sure until Lightroom can open E-P1 raw files and I can test this theory.  But regardless of cleanup-ability, the E-P1 is an example of why quantitative noise measurements and graphs don’t tell the whole story.  It might not measure as well as some cameras in absolute amount of noise (although it does really well there too with its low amounts of noise), but the character of the noise is much less bothersome and ugly.

By the way, I’ve found “low” noise reduction to be the best balance between noise reduction and detail retention (camera default is one notch higher at “standard”).  This won’t matter once Lightroom supports E-P1 RAWs, but it matters for straight out of the camera JPEGs.

Again because I’m used to looking at how Lightroom handles RAW files which I can’t do with E-P1 files just yet, I don’t want to make a final judgment on detail and sharpness.  However, I’m pretty sure the lenses are holding the E-P1 back.  The 14-42mm and 17mm f/2.8 are both decent but not stellar lenses.  Even when I was first researching the E-P1 and looking at sample shots online I wasn’t overly impressed with them, but they’re small and relatively inexpensive so they do a good enough job for what they are.  The best online samples were taken with the Olympus 50mm f/2 macro, which is a regular 4/3 lens and can be used on the E-P1 with an adapter.  It’s recognized as one of the sharpest 4/3 lenses, and it really brings out the best of the E-P1.  I can’t prove it since I don’t have the lens, but I’m sure that with good glass we’ll see that the E-P1 is capable of resolving fine detail and providing excellent sharpness.  In the meantime I’m content with the detail that I’m getting.

Bottom line is that the image quality is at least marginally better than all Olympus DSLRs, and significantly better than some that are much more expensive.  From an image quality bang-for-the-buck perspective, the E-P1 is competitive with and in some cases better than the very best in its price range.  This is image quality never before seen in a compact camera, even matching and surpassing quite a few DSLRs.  As more and better lenses come out for m4/3 the E-P1 will realize its full image quality potential.

VIDEO

I’m not in any way a videographer.  If I use the video on a DSLR it’ll only be for gee-it-would-be-great-to-video-this situations, not for serious film making.  To that end the E-P1 hits the spot.

The main downside of video on the E-P1 is the autofocus.  You focus before you start the video, and once you’re rolling you have to press the AEL/AFL button to reacquire focus.  Plus the microphones pick up the focus motors of the lens very clearly, ruining the audio for the clip.  I’ve limited myself to using it with a static subject or when I have enough light to shoot with a small aperture for large depth of field, so if the subject moves he’ll still be in focus.

Video quality is good enough for me.  I know that isn’t very descriptive, but I’m just not that big into video right now.  As a result, I’m not a good judge of all aspects of video quality, but I know how noisy typical camcorders can be in low light, and in this area the E-P1 really shines.  With its large sensor and relatively clean high ISO noise levels it can record impressively noise-free video even in low light.

You can choose the exposure mode in video between P (Program) and A (Aperture priority).  I’ve just left mine on P as I’ve done casual video, but if you want to control depth of field you can set it to A and control the aperture.  You can’t set the shutter speed and framerate, but the ability to set and lock the aperture is a step up from your typical compact camera video ability.

Again, not the best, but it’s a usable feature if you realize its limits and work with it.

WHY/WHY NOT THE E-P1?

Why?

• Small and very portable
• Quiet shutter
• Large sensor yields great image quality even at higher ISOs
• Interchangeable lenses
• In-camera image stabilization
• Controls are highly customizable
• Decent video capabilities
• Nice build quality
• Stylish

Why not?

• Slow AF
• Low resolution LCD
• No viewfinder
• Small lens selection (not a fault of the camera, but of the m4/3 system as a whole for the moment)
• Strange menu/function deficiencies

CONCLUSION

No canned “buy” or “don’t buy” recommendations here.  Not everybody will approach this camera with the same needs and expectations, so the ultimate purchase decision falls on each potential buyer.

If absolute small size or absolute image quality are your concerns, look elsewhere.  This camera is a compromise by design.  If you’re looking for a small-ish camera with image quality that matches some DSLRs, you’re in the right ballpark.  And if so, it comes down to whether you’re willing to put up with the E-P1′s idiosyncrasies and whether it’s worth the money.

To me this is a “Goldilocks” camera –not too big, not too small, just right.  It definitely has its quirks and shortcomings that one should be aware of before buying it, but they are shortcomings that many will be (and are) happy to deal with for the considerable benefits it has on offer.

On the value for money front I almost decided it wasn’t worth it.  Considering its pros and cons and comparing it to other offerings in the market, I had decided an E-P1 + lens should be priced about $600, not the $800 it is in the U.S. right now.  I wasn’t ready to pay a $200 premium to be an early adopter, and I’m not usually an early adopter anyway.  Then I found for sale a barely used one with the optional FL-14 flash and a 2GB SD card for the same price as a kit without flash and SD card, and I was able to expedite shipping for cheap, so I jumped on that deal.  I realize not everybody will be so fortunate to find this kind of deal, and it’s up to each person to decide cost vs. value.

In short (yeah, right) know its strengths and weaknesses; then decide whether you can stomach the cost, if you want to wait until the price drops, or if it’s going to fit your needs at all.  I’ve really enjoyed using mine so far, and the portability of it means I’ll have it with me just about everywhere I go.  As the saying goes, the best camera is the one you have with you.

Phew… that was long.  Props if you made it all the way to the end.  I feel like I’m forgetting something though, so if I think of anything else I’ll add on to this review as needed.  I hope this review provides some insight into the E-P1 and helps you make up your mind whether it’s worth spending your hard-earned money on.