Olympus 12.3 Megapixels E-PL1 Camera Review by CNET UK With Rating 9/10
2010-05-11 02:04 | Tag: Olympus CNET Rating Camera Megapixels | SourceAverage Camera Review Rating [15 reviews]
On February 3 2010, Olympus announced the Olympus E-PL1, a new & affordable Micro Four Thirds camera that comes with a built-in flash, sensor-shift image stabilisation and one-touch HD video recording. Featuring a stabilized 12.3-megapixel LiveMOS sensor, the Olympus E-PL1 weighs in at only 296 grams without a lens, battery or memory card. The camera can support 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.
Olympus E-PL1 Camera Reviews Roundup
Olympus E-PL1 Camera Recent User Reviews
DSLR Photography Latest Posts
On February 3 2010, Olympus announced the Olympus E-PL1, a new & affordable Micro Four Thirds camera that comes with a built-in flash, sensor-shift image stabilisation and one-touch HD video recording. Featuring a stabilized 12.3-megapixel LiveMOS sensor, the Olympus E-PL1 weighs in at only 296 grams without a lens, battery or memory card. The camera can support 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. The Olympus E-PL1 Micro Four Thirds camera is currently selling at around $550. That buys you a Black, Champagne Gold or Slate Blue camera body, the M. Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, battery, charger manuals, software, cables, etc. Here is the summary of a latest review by CNET UK, giving the camera a rating of 9 out of 10:
"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 suitable for seasoned video enthusiasts. You can shoot full-resolution stills in the middle of a clip, too. The E-PL1's stills are excellent too. Micro Four Thirds sensors have come a long way since the early days, but more through evolution than revolution. The E-PL1's 12.3-megapixel sensor and 14-42mm kit lens match the best APS-C-format dSLRs for image quality. The camera's pictures are rich, saturated and sharp, and it has one of the best kit lenses around.
This kit lens is the source of one of the E-PL1's few irritations, though. When it's 'folded', it looks great, but you have to unlock it with a catch to start shooting, which is a drag. It also extends to twice its folded length and looks like a pile of pants. Still, it works, and it takes extremely good pictures. The other annoyance is that you have to press the zoom button repeatedly in playback mode, instead of just holding it down. But this is a very minor complaint. So what if the Olympus Pen E-PL1 looks rather plasticky compared to its predecessors? In terms of design, features and everyday functionality, it makes the E-P1 and E-P2 look over-engineered, over-designed and overpriced. If only Olympus had built the E-PL1 right at the start."
Olympus E-PL1 Sample Photos on Flickr
Olympus E-PL1 Camera Reviews Roundup
| TrustedReviews: "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 » | |
| DCI: "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 » | |
| 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 » | |
| DigitalCameraReview: "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 » | |
| DigitalCameraResourcePage: "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 » | |
| PhotographyBLOG: "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 » |
Olympus E-PL1 Camera Recent User Reviews
Works Great--Even Better With Panasonic 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 Micro Four Thirds Lens, J. Weber - Sep 02 2010
Great camera and sensor. Great autofocusing (especially with firmware upgrade from Olympus). Surprisingly, when coupled with the Panasonic 14-140mm f/4.0-5.8 OIS Micro Four Thirds Lens, the optical image stabilization (OIS) in this lens is much better than that in the Olympus E-PL1 body. About 50% more slow shutter shots were sharp for me with the Panasonic lens OIS than using the O...
Great Value, Patrick O'Brien "Patrick" - Aug 25 2010
Great camera with great options. Easy to use for a starter! HD Video is great....
Zero Trade-Off for Portability, road warrior "mrgondo" - Aug 23 2010
Finally, Olympus has delivered on the promise of a full-featured high-performance dslr-like digital camera that is truly portable and retains the controls and flexibility of a full-sized heavy dslr. Being able to travel without the bulk and weight of a full size dslr bag and accessory lenses is the biggest advantage to getting this camera. You can now take it with you and and your tra...
The point n shoot the pro adores..., I. Lozada - Jul 31 2010
I've been a pro photographer for 5 years now, and I never know what to tell average people when they ask me about what camera they should buy if they aren't asking about DSLR's. To me, point and shoots produce noisy files, they have the flashes in the precise place to maximize the potential to make you look awful, and given my choice, I'd probably rather shoot with my iPhone instead....
DSLR Photography Latest Posts
Twitter
RSS Feed
Contact Us
Add your comments