Travel Photography - The second coming of true EVIL is upon us

As in Electronic Viewfinder, Interchangeable Lens...

And for those space constrained travelers who want to get the very best out of their photography, the Olympus Digital Pen might just do the trick....

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0906/09061601olympusep1.asp

It all depends on how well it performs in low light. If the reviews are good I'll probably get one.

How exactly is it true evil? (or am I missing the sarcasm?)

ETA: Ahhh... got it E.V.I.L....


And I am VERY excited about the possibility of this system. It is roughly the same size as a Panasonic Lumix LX3 (without the lens of course). The travel photography market just found the ideal solution. Just need to get a better sense of the image quality and we'll be all set!

It all depends on how well it performs in low light. If the reviews are good I'll probably get one.

Photos in dpreview show a surprisingly capable ISO6400. AF performance is the thing to watch for with this system (reportedly slow in pre production).

I got one yesterday and it is everything I was hoping for. Of course, this now means I'll have to invest a ton in lenses :D

I got one yesterday and it is everything I was hoping for. Of course, this now means I'll have to invest a ton in lenses :D

How'd you do it? I thought they weren't out until next month. I'm so jealous!

How'd you do it? I thought they weren't out until next month. I'm so jealous!

We're talking about ScottC, not about an ordinary person. Olympus probably begged him to try it.

First and brief (and I mean really brief) impressions are positive - it looks amazing, very much like the origina PEN. I have the silver here but also saw the white (cute, very "ipoddy"). It's a real pleasure to work with, I'm a realy dSLR hater (bulk and too complicated) but this the perfect compromise. The UI is awesome, and is filled with a ton of cute little features (like the art effects). I have not yet watched my video recordings on a TV it also has mini HDMI for output).

The flash is small, and I would have much rather prefered an internal flash, but cramming this much stuff into such a small body comes at a price.

Battery life is great, I made 950 photos in NYC with it, and used just 3 batteries.

Lens retracts very nicely (mine has the 14-42) turning it into a really compact little unit.

I'll point you towards a longer review when I get back in the routine, it has been a long week.

I may well break my habit of not being an early adopter for this one.... I have a potential few business trips over the summer where this plus 17mm pancake might just be perfect!

I may well break my habit of not being an early adopter for this one.... I have a potential few business trips over the summer where this plus 17mm pancake might just be perfect!

I only got to borrow the 17mm, but it is one hell of a lens. The lens adapter should also be available soon which means it'll take a whole host of other Olympus lenses.

I suck at photography, but this thing may finally be what I need to make some nice photos :D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3634/3636708753_c3945051ca.jpg?v=0

I suck at photography, but this thing may finally be what I need to make some nice photos :D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3634/3636708753_c3945051ca.jpg?v=0

Nice shot. ^^

looks just like the camera my father used in the 60s to take those awful tranparencies that you could only look at by pinning a sheet to the wall and setting up the projector, (pen ee) going to be the Panasonic for me

looks just like the camera my father used in the 60s to take those awful tranparencies that you could only look at by pinning a sheet to the wall and setting up the projector, (pen ee) going to be the Panasonic for me

I came upon this machine with all those card slots for printing pictures in a store. I then took a picture of it to use the next day in a meet for no standards.

What would happen in twenty years when all those card slots disappear like 5.25 inch floppy disc drives?

Edit: found that picture...

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f228/oar8/Camera/Photo_091905_002.jpg

I got my Mini HDMI cable yesterday ($5 from Monoprice) and have to say, the camera looks great on my TV :)

Videos are very impressive too, but the part I like best is the photo browser and the ability to add one of the built in soundtracks to the slideshow.

FWIW; if you shop on Amazon and regularly browse the E-P1 and its accessories, check your Gold Box - they are offering it with 5% off, bringing the price of the camera + 14/42 lens down to $759.99 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002CGSYKS?tag=641539-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B002CGSYKS&adid=1WW7NFDWBZNNQBHS4R69&)

Photos in dpreview show a surprisingly capable ISO6400. AF performance is the thing to watch for with this system (reportedly slow in pre production).

I got mine yesterday. As you said, great picture quality, strange autofocus. Maybe I'm spoiled by my Nikon D3's autofocus. For such a tiny camera, it's funny how far the zoom extends when fully open. And for the moment, RAW files can only be opened in Olympus software. I hope there's an update for Lightroom soon.

I got mine yesterday. As you said, great picture quality, strange autofocus. Maybe I'm spoiled by my Nikon D3's autofocus. For such a tiny camera, it's funny how far the zoom extends when fully open. And for the moment, RAW files can only be opened in Olympus software. I hope there's an update for Lightroom soon.

Are you saying that the RAW format is different from what is produced by the Evolt series? If so, I am surprised that Olympus would have a different format RAW file for this camera.

Are you saying that the RAW format is different from what is produced by the Evolt series? If so, I am surprised that Olympus would have a different format RAW file for this camera.

I have no idea if it's the same format as the Evolt. This is the first Olympus I've ever had. When I first got it, Lightroom didn't recognize the files. Just in the last week or so, Adobe came out with the beta version of a plug-in which lets Photoshop work with the files. It's better than nothing. I'll just shoot jpeg+raw for the moment.

Are you saying that the RAW format is different from what is produced by the Evolt series? If so, I am surprised that Olympus would have a different format RAW file for this camera.

Pretty sure it used the same format at their other RAW cameras. I've had no problems opening raw files on their own software as well as my Epson P-6000.

Pretty sure it used the same format at their other RAW cameras. I've had no problems opening raw files on their own software as well as my Epson P-6000.

Are they .ORF?

A Quote from DP Reviews written in July:

"As is normal in our digital SLR reviews we like to compare the supplied RAW conversion software, any optional manufacturer RAW conversion software and some third party RAW converter. At the moment support for the E-P1 is pretty thin on the ground, with only Olympus's own software (which does a pretty good job of mimicking the JPEG output) and DCRaw (which is not for the fainthearted, being a command line utility) currently able to open and process the .ORF files."


http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/OlympusEP1/page16.asp

That is a good question - I haven't even looked at the file extension. All I know is that they open on my Epson, and in Olympus Master. That said - I'm not pro enough to use RAW, so I can't comment too much on it. I do know that the P-6000 (my Epson) was made before the E-P1, and since it can open the RAW files, I'm guess it is at least compatible with some older Olympus RAW format.

Yes, .ORF is indeed the raw format used by modern Olympus cameras (I believe it stands for Olympus Raw format). For Photoshop/Lightroom/Elements you will need to download the latest Adobe Camera Raw plugin.

Be prepared for disappointment though. The Olympus JPEG engine is actually very good; perhaps the best out there at the moment and it can take some skill to get photos processed from raw as good good as the out of camera JPEGs (which often need little more than a contrast boost and a little extra sharpening in post processing to give the image extra punch).

just an FYI....GIMP has a plug-in that works with the Olympus Raw files. I've been using that for some time now and it works fine. GIMP is great for a FREE product.;)

Be prepared for disappointment though. The Olympus JPEG engine is actually very good; perhaps the best out there at the moment and it can take some skill to get photos processed from raw as good good as the out of camera JPEGs (which often need little more than a contrast boost and a little extra sharpening in post processing to give the image extra punch).

I think the Adobe Plug-in is a beta. Maybe something will change before it's officially released.

The Olympus JPEG engine might be good, but it would be like, if in the old days, you said to the lab "Just give me the prints.. I'll never need the negatives."

The just announced Panasonic GF1 seems to be a better alternative to the Olympus Pen.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0909/09090204panasonicdmcgf1.asp

The just announced Panasonic GF1 seems to be a better alternative to the Olympus Pen.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0909/09090204panasonicdmcgf1.asp

"For the image processing LSI, the new Venus Engine HD features exceptionally advanced signal processing capabilities."

Venus Engine? What a silly name.

The just announced Panasonic GF1 seems to be a better alternative to the Olympus Pen.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0909/09090204panasonicdmcgf1.asp

How so? It has a built in flash, but the rest of the specifications appear to be about the same. Plus, it doesn't look as sexy as the E-P1. It is also $100 more.

How so? It has a built in flash, but the rest of the specifications appear to be about the same. Plus, it doesn't look as sexy as the E-P1. It is also $100 more.

You can read the preview there. I think two main differences are the better auto-focusing as well as the availability of an optional electronic viewfinder. Yes, and the flash...

For anyone who cares.... Adobe just upgraded Lightroom to 2.5 and now supports the Olympus Pen. And Camera Raw goes to 5.5 and supports the camera too.

For anyone who cares.... Adobe just upgraded Lightroom to 2.5 and now supports the Olympus Pen. And Camera Raw goes to 5.5 and supports the camera too.

And Olympus just released a firmware upgrade for the camera :)

I got the E-P2 in the mail yesterday. Very minor upgrades include a new port under the hotshoe for an EVF and a couple of changes to the AF. Still a very sexy camera :)