Olympus E-PL1 12.3 Megapixel Digital SLR Reviews Roundup
Olympus have just launched the Olympus E-PL1, a new, affordable Micro Four Thirds camera with a built-in flash, sensor-shift image stabilisation and one-touch HD video recording. Sporting a stabilised 12.3-megapixel LiveMOS sensor, the Olympus E-PL1 weighs in at only 296 grams without a lens, battery or memory card. Speaking of which, the Olympus E-PL1 is compatible with SD and SDHC cards, just like the existing Micro Four Thirds offerings from Olympus and Panasonic.
Other highlights include a Supersonic Wave Filter for automated sensor cleaning, a sensitivity range of ISO 100-3200, 3fps continuous shooting for up to 10 raw images, HDMI and USB 2.0 connectivity, and auto gradation adjustment to prevent blown highlights and blocked-in shadows. The Olympus E-PL1 also features an easy-to-understand, non-technical Live Guide with simple direct control over key image effects. Available from March 2010 at a retail price of ¢G549 for a single lens kit and ¢G699 for a twin zoom kit, the Olympus E-PL1 is the most affordable Micro Four Thirds camera from Olympus to date.
Olympus E-PL1 Sample Photos on Flickr
Olympus E-PL1 Camera Reviews Roundup
| Trusted Reviews: "The E-PL1's overall performance is also more like that of an advanced compact than a DSLR. It starts up and is ready to shoot in just under two and a half seconds as long as you remember to manually extend the lens, and the shot-to-shot time in single-shot mode is approximately 1.8 seconds in both Raw and JPEG modes, both respectable times for a compact camera, but pretty slow compared to most DSLRs. The shot-to-sho..." - Aug 28 2010 More » | |
| Photoxels: "The Olympus E-PL1 has very good image quality including very good low-light performance at ISO 100 with good detail preserved. Image quality is very good up to ISO 800, and ISO 1600 is very usable; at higher ISOs, images suffer from noise and loss of detail. One of the many advantages of a DIL camera is the ability to use interchangeable lenses suited to specific jobs. The Olympus E-PL1 comes with a M.Zuiko Dig..." - Aug 16 2010 More » | |
| MacWorld: "As per its lower price point, the E-PL1 is missing some features that you get from the E-P2. Maximum shutter speed caps at 1/2000th of a second, with maximum ISO stopping at 6400, though neither of these will matter much for most shooting situations. There is no orientation sensor in the camera, so it can't automatically rotate images when you shoot in portrait orientation. When you import your images into your imag..." - Aug 04 2010 More » | |
| RegHardware: "The E-PL1 records AVI movies in HD at 1280 x 720 and in SD at 640 x 480, both at 30 frames per second. Maximum recording time is 7 minutes in HD and 14 minutes in VGA or 2GB maximum file size. The E-PL1 lets you shoot movies in Program or Aperture Priority mode or gives you complete control over exposure in Manual mode. It also allows the use of a zoom lens while filming. The newly introduced C-AF + TR focusing mode..." - Jul 23 2010 More » | |
| NeutralDay: "The E-PL1 in many ways gets more things right than any other PEN camera. It is cheaper, in feel and in cost, but doesn't actually skimp on any of the inherent power of either of its predecessors. Indeed, in many ways it maybe the superior camera, it handles better, provides a pop-up flash for fill and commanding other flashes, provides a dedicated video record button, and by our eye, takes slightly better pictures t..." - Jul 12 2010 More » | |
| Electronista: "The Olympus E-PL1 is a worthy entry to the ILC ranks for those ready to step beyond the constraints of a typical point and shoot camera. Made for the type of person who chooses to go to the next step, but most likely not further, it offers great image capturing ability without all the bells and whistles that are part and parcel of DSLRs available today. We almost find the E-PL1 too simplified for our comfort le..." - Jun 29 2010 More » | |
| infoSync: "If you remember our review of the Olympus E-620, we were jazzed with the DSLR's image quality. Well, the same applied here with the Olympus E-PL1. Beautifully rendered, natural colors, crisp, detailed lines, and an uncanny ability to stave off common image aberrations like fringing and noise. Even at ISO 1600, our images were great, though we'd recommend shooting with a slow shutter on a tripod at lower ISO levels f..." - Jun 12 2010 More » | |
| Digital Camera Info: "The E-PL1 still involves a number of trade-offs for potential buyers. Autofocus is not as fast as a digital SLR or high-quality point and shoot, a fact that may come as an unpleasant surprise to Little League Moms and Dads. Image quality is quite good in most respects, particularly when it comes to resolution, and lingering image noise problems will probably be less of an issue than tack-sharp photos for those who a..." - May 20 2010 More » | |
| dpreview: "There are, perhaps, three types of potential users who might find themselves considering purchasing the E-PL1, all of who will find things to love and things to be frustrated by in the camera. The first is the compact camera user who wants better images, might be interested in taking some control over the camera but doesn't want to learn about apertures and exposure. The second is the owner of an enthusiast compact,..." - May 18 2010 More » | |
| CNET UK: "The 720p high-definition movie mode is rather good too, because it offers full manual control over shutter speed, aperture and focusing. You have to remember to set the autofocus to continuous mode before you start shooting if you want to use it, and you have to dip into the menus to choose the exposure mode, but all that's quickly learned. The result is an excellent stills camera that's also an HD camcorder suitabl..." - May 11 2010 More » | |
| TechRadar: "The Pen E-PL1 concept is fairly straightforward - it's a stripped down, easier-to-use version of a high-end camera which can be sold significantly cheaper. It's not the sexiest camera ever, but it really works. Olympus has succeeded in streamlining the PEN E-P2's feature set, while still building a camera with a strong purpose in its own right, which produces excellent images and is fun to use and easy to get c..." - Apr 28 2010 More » | |
| LetsGoDigital: "On the inside, the Olympus E-PL1 resembles the other models in the PEN-series a lot, which is a positive thing. Just like the other models, the E-PL1 offers excellent quality. Noise only becomes a 'problem' in the highest ISO values, but normal sensitivities work well. In any case, it is a lot better than a compact camera. That is also true for the dynamic range and the color display. A big advantage of the Oly..." - Apr 21 2010 More » | |
| Digital Camera Review: "The Olympus E-PL1 is the cheapest of the Olympus Digital PEN cameras, rolling onto the scene with a 14-42mm kit lens and body for $599. The E-PL1 is compact, stylish and well-priced for its features. It has an image sensor that is larger than a point-and-shoot, and offers the ability to change different lenses. It also comes with most of the same specs as its two predecessors, the E-P1 and E-P2. Minus a few fun..." - Apr 15 2010 More » | |
| Engadget: "Speaking of video, let's speak of video. We're pretty happy with what we see here. These Micro Four Thirds cameras are turning out to be some of the best ways of capturing video on the cheap known to man, and the E-PL1 turns around quality 720p footage on a budget. The biggest drawback, as pointed out elsewhere, is the audible auto focus noise made by the camera, which has dogged it since the E-P1, and is perhaps ac..." - Apr 09 2010 More » | |
| Steve Huff: "Many of you know that I reviewed and LOVED the Olympus E-P1 and E-P2. I even bought the E-P2 over the Leica X1 due to my wife preferring the overall user experience of the E-P2 over the little Leica. Well, this is the Huff household and if a digital camera makes it for more than 2 months you know it is a winner but cameras come and go in this house and I love writing about them all. We recently sold the E-P2 because..." - Apr 08 2010 More » | |
| Digital Camera Resource Page: "Photo quality was very good -- better than I expected, in fact. The E-PL1 exposes photos accurately, though like other Four Thirds cameras (Micro or regular), it does like to clip highlights. Colors are pleasing, and are especially vibrant if you're using the iEnhance Picture Mode. Images have the "smooth" look that you come to expect from a camera like this, with plenty of detail captured, save for minor..." - Mar 29 2010 More » | |
| PhotoReview Australia: "High ISO performance was also better in the E-PL1 than we found with the E-P2. Interestingly there was little difference in the results we obtained with JPEG and ORF.RAW files, as shown in the graph below. (It will be interesting to re-run these tests on the raw files when the update of Adobe Camera Raw is released because we have some reservations about the capabilities of the raw converter in the supplied ib softw..." - Mar 29 2010 More » | |
| Photography BLOG: "Importantly for the target audience, the E-PL1 is the first PEN to feature a built-in flash, very neatly implemented with a folding design that raise the unit above the lens and helps reduce red-eye. The new Live Guide is another beginner-friendly addition that makes understanding and changing apertures and shutter speeds to achieve creative effects very straight-forward indeed - simply move the slider and observe t..." - Mar 05 2010 More » | |
| Pocket-lint: "When it comes to shooting with the camera, the E-PL1 is fast and responsive, though it does take a brief moment to automatically determine focus and exposure, confirmed with an affirmative bleep. A blocky handgrip to the front enables a firm, steadying hold, yet as the on/off button is located slap bang next to the shutter release button, it's easy for your forefinger to wander to the wrong control if you're concent..." - Mar 05 2010 More » |
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User Review of the camera - Olympus E-PL1
GREAT CAMERA, DAISY C. WATCO
I GAVE THIS CAMERA TO MY NIECE AS A GIFT. GOOD ONE AND RIGHT PRICING. IT HAS NICE
COLOT TOO.
Vacation saved, SM Anderson
i have been extremely pleased with camera. This is the third Olympus brand that I now own, and the first Olympus digital, I very pleased with the image quality, and the quick service in delivery while on vacation after mechanical and operation ending issues with the digitalI had with me on the trip. Definitely recommend!!!!
I'll tell you why I love it..., Susy V
this camera is very useful with it's compact size and affordability. The images are great; crisp and clean and the look is it is fantastic. I have gotten so many compliments already and I've only had it for a week or something like that... I recommend it. It's beautiful and it is good.
Excellent mirrorless camera, M. L. Gregory "jhawk1000"
This Olympus is great. I bought it, a couple of batteries and a flash card. Since then, I have added a 40-150mm lens. It takes wonderful pictures. The only con is that the LCD monitor is hard to see in bright light but that is for all cameras without the viewfinder. Probably will eventually buy the VF-2 viewfinder.
Great camera, Melanie Thompson "pigsnfish"
I'm a point and shoot kind of girl, but my teen girls like what this camera can do. The 16-year-old took a few kids' senior pictures with it. They turned out wonderfully. I, however, still struggle. There are times when I have it in automatic mode and I take videos instead of pictures. No one in my family can figure out how/why I can do that, but it happens about 1/2 the time I take pictures. Definitely worth the money!
great, vuhx
good camera, works as well as entry dslrs, maybe better? not very complicated, which I like. I'd check around for more comprehensive tech reviews but I like it and it takes great pictures.
Good camera for the price, William Melcher "Kid"
We got this camera to replace our P+S, and it's really good for that. It's not a DSLR, but we weren't expecting it to be. I'm happy for the price. I have a problem focusing sometimes, but that could just be me not knowing the correct setting to put it on.
not as advertised, stan h.
if you like taking good photos you put up with alot. Poor form factor,strange software and button placement,but, if image quality
sucks what can a camera do for you, not much.
great camera, karen feldhousen
wonderful camera I love olympus camera's this a great product for out door photos it is great for non photographer's a little hard to understand the digital working. good seller.
Awesome, Brooklin
My experience was excellent! I love this camera it's great for beginners and pros! Has alot of features that are easy to use. Art mode is great. Lens is awesome.
Love It!!!!, Adams, A.
Absolutely the best value for an interchangeable lens camera. If you can still get one of the factory reconditioned ones for $200. Great photos and if you desire, it has almost as many custom settings as my Nikon D-90. For everyday use, I just grab this one and leave the Nikon at home. A fraction of the weight and bulk. :)
Very Reliable Company, Nikiska Blair
Very fast service, Everything was packed professional. The item look brand new and worked perfectly. I really like the fast return on the mailing process.
Im in love with this camera, eric ravnikar
I bought this camera for a trip that I was taking to Alaska. It shot incredible photos and was small enough to take everywhere. I have been using it now for about 6 months, and I still love it. It has a ton of features which make for some very creative photos, and it is easy enough for anyone to use like a normal camera, and has practically the same capabilities as a full sized DSL that cost twice as much.
If you want to get into photograph beyond a point and shoot. This is the camera to have. You will love it.
Comparisons surprising, Karen P. Fletcher "seminolewind"
I bought this camera, a canon t2i, and a panasonic fz200 . I used them all with and without a tripod, mostly on animals, bugs, and nature. Out of the 3, I kept the Olympus.
The panasonic fz200 was awesome. Fun to use and took great pics. The canon I was a bit disappointed in, mainly the autofocus time, and inconsistent auto color. Maybe these things are beyond how much I have to fiddle with a camera.
I took pictures with all of them, freehand and with tripod, and at home on the computer, I could not tell the difference in quality. The Olympus has 12.3 megapixels, and the canon has 18, and I expected to be able to blow up and crop the canon pictures much more, but could not. The pictures fell apart at the same enlargement as the other 2. The panasonic was outstanding even without a tripod. But those 2 were not any better then the Olympus Pen epl-1. The other reason I chose it over the Panasonic is that I have to turn the lens itself for closer/farther, where the panasonic had a toggle. Hand on lens is far more quick and controlable when it comes to getting the distance you want. I did not find that the autofocus took too long, but longer than my pocket camera. With the canon, I more often missed the picture waiting for the autofocus to focus.
I am not a professional. But I enjoy seeing how good I can get a clear quality picture without being a professional. And I am the blow-up and crop queen, it's extremely important to me. The Olympus is up there equal to the best with less fuss. The canon took too long to autofocus, and the Panasonic FZ200 was a hard one to give up, but turning the lens for distance on the Olympus was much more enjoyable than the toggle on the panasonic.
Incredible camera for this price, David
This is an excellent camera, with the right balance of point and shoot features and setting choices that a professional might need. In my opinion, glass optics, which this camera has, are a must and many cameras today resort to acrylics. You can use this camera entirely in manual mode, actually setting the f-stop and focus by adjusting the lens. This is a plus for old 35mm users like myself who still want to set the camera the way we always did without fumbling through menus. It self stabalizes, auto focuses, etc., all the things you want for picking a basic setting, i.e., landscapes, portraits, closeups, and just shoot away. The price came down to approximately half what this camera originally retailed for, so if you can still find one, Olympus lives up to it's brand in this one.
Great hobbyist camera, SpeedisaVirus
Camera does a pretty solid job. Especially at the current price point. Low light performance isn't fantastic but tweaking the settings can still get great shots if you are patient. The kit lens isn't that bad though I do like my pancake lens more for most on the go shooting.
There are only 2 things I would love to have had:
1. Visual viewfinder. You can buy one though so its not a tragic loss though it will prevent mounting an auxiliary flash at the same time.
2. I would have probably liked to have the settings dial like on the E-PL2. I needed the camera short notice for a sudden vacation to Cobá for the "end of the world" and since I am a prime member I went with the prime eligible camera since they didn't seem that different beyond features such as this and the larger screen in general for simple basic shooting.
Small Wonder, David L. Moore "David Moore"
Mainly, I was interested in this camera because of its small size and high definition (12.3MP). In terms of the high definition, I wanted a camera capable, as is the PEN E-PL1, of saving photos in RAW format which allows for maximum leeway in using computer software to adjust brightness and color of the photos while maintaining sharp focus. I am pleased that the 14-42mm zoom kit lens is capable of very sharp images with nice color. The zoom equals 28mm-84mm in 35mm-equivalent terms and so provides an ample gamut of zoom for most photographic work. The f/3.5 maximum aperture is not as open as some might wish, but it is capable of capturing bokeh; and, for those who want a lens with a lower f-stop, there are other lenses available for this camera at an added price.
In terms of size, being a mirrorless digital camera, the PL1 is small enough to be relatively unobtrusive. It comes with a strap that is quite adequate which attaches to each side of the camera so that it may be carried around the neck. But it is compact enough that I decided to attach a wrist loop to one of the brackets for the strap; I found that I could easily carry it in one hand that way while the wrist loop provides security to keep it from being accidentally dropped. With the 14-42mm zoom lens attached, it would be difficult to carry in a pocket; but with the shorter, 17mm lens (available separately) it could easily be slipped into a pocket or purse. I purchased a small camera bag which fits the camera with the kit lens attached and leaves room to carry another lens or the battery-charging equipment which comes with the PL1.
I have only a few complaints. The battery takes a good long while to recharge, so I will either have to plan ahead and have a charged-up battery whenever I plan to take the camera along. Otherwise I could shell out for a second battery (proprietary, of course) and always have a charged battery on hand. I also found a problem in focusing the camera in low light. I was doing a 3-second exposure with a tripod, and I found that the LCD monitor on the back of the camera provided no definition at that light level; even putting the camera on autofocus did not help. I didn't try illuminating the scene with a flashlight; that might have worked. What I did was take about 20 shots at progressively incremental focus; that did produce at least one well focused photograph. There are external flashes available for purchase which provide illumination for focusing; they can be attached by hot shoe. In bright sunlight it can be hard to see the LCD on the back of the camera. But there are viewfinders available for purchase which attach to the camera's hot shoe. Reviews on their functioning are mostly positive. Since all of my complaints can be addressed by purchasing additional equipment, I have not hesitated to give the Pl1 the best rating, especially since the basic price of the PL1 seems to me very reasonable for this very capable camera.
I have used this camera for about 2 weeks mostly in manual mode and am very pleased with the spot-on focusing and exposure it achieves. On the occasions I have used the auto mode the photos have also turned out very well. It has a built-in flash that can be flipped up which is mainly adequate as a fill flash on short- to close-medium-range shots. The software that controls the camera allows for a wide range of options. Certain buttons can be programmed to various functions. I found that programming a button to make the LCD show how the shot would appear in black & white can be very helpful. The four-thirds format is new to me as I'm used to working in two-thirds format, but with 12.3MP there is plenty of room to crop to the shape and size the photographer wants, and the four-thirds format, just as it comes out of the camera, fits very well on an eight-and-a-half by eleven inch sheet of photo paper. There are cameras that can capture higher resolution, but the biggest paper my photo printer handles is 13 by 19 inches, and I can print at this size without any noticeable grain.
To sum up, I have found the Olympus PL1 to be a versatile camera, capable of seriously good quality photographs all in a compact package. I am happy with my purchase, and I feel I have received a great deal of camera for the price.
Excellent product; shipping excellent, Richard D. Harris "jazzboy"
This is the perfect camera for the person, like me, who likes the old range-finder/retro camera! It is incredibly powerful and has all the features of the higher end cameras. Yet it also has a "user friendly" feature that you can make quick adjustments without going through the complete menu system. Truly remarkable camera. As you know this is an older version of the Pen but that brings the cost down. ALSO, the selling point for me was the ability to use my old OM lenses from film days! With an adapter from Fotodiox you can get an adapter that will fit the major manufacturers of older lenses. This is a great bargain, and a powerful tool to record your memories.
Christmas present to myself, K. Wade
Pictures are super sharp. Haven't shot any videos but the ones on youtube look great. . . . . .
Good Camera For The Price, RJS
This was a Christmas gift a family memeber wanted badly. The camera has performed well. He is very pleased with it. The price was right compared to what I've seen it elsewhere.