I recently sold my Olympus E-620 DSLR with the intentions of buying the Olympus pen camera. I have owned two DSLR cameras so far and really just got tired of lugging a big camera around all the time. I downsized to the Pen camera for the fact that I just wanted something more fun to take pictures with. I don't think the image quality is quite as good as my DSLR was, but very close. So with the smaller size and very decent picture quality, I am very happy with the camera. It does exactly what it says it can do. The movie mode takes decent quality videos and all in all the camera is fairly easy to use, contrary to what the reviews say. The beauty of the camera is that it has removable lenses, 12 megapixels and a large image sensor ( the same image sensor that was in my Olympus DSLR). That combination is much better than any point and shoot camera can offer you. The size is also very small so its much nicer to take on trips and also much lighter than a DSLR. This is a fun camera and a nice second camera to have if you currently want to move up from a point and shoot or just want a smaller camera instead of always lugging around your DSLR. I do like this new camera quite a bit but wouldn't recommend it for the $599.00 price tag in the stores. I did purchase one that was brand new in a sealed box on ebay and with shipping I paid around $430.00. For that price point it was a great deal in my mind. If you watch the auctions on Ebay there are some great deals out there now. I don't really know what your needs are or why you might be considering buying a pen camera, but for my needs it was a good decision to purchase this camera. You just need to realize that there isn't a viewfinder so you will have to rely on looking at the LCD screen. Otherwise there is a external viewfinder thats available for purchase. This is something I might think about purchasing myself but for now I'm living without. Not much else I can say about the camera other than encouraging you to look at one at a camera store before buying one online. I did only because I wanted to be sure its what I wanted before selling my DSLR and spending thee money I spent.Read full review
This is the best walk around camera ever!!! I use it with a Manual Focus Minolta 50mm(eq 100mm), and it's just fantastic. Takes really good video. I play around with the pull focus on the lens and it's just good fun recording videos. IQ is pretty decent. I haven't had any problems with noise. I've seen a lot of complaints about the noise ISO performance on the E-PL1, but I haven't experienced any hold-backs. I shoot freely at 1250 at night. Noise is handled considerably well. The playful features are really great as well. I use the miniature effect a lot, and I really love the Pinhole effect. Pinhole works great when shooting down a Brownstone street in Brooklyn. All in all, great camera. There are some drawbacks like no viewfinder, and rear screen is difficult to see in extremely bright sun.Read full review
This camera was my main photography learning tool I have for few years. This camera performed better than I never expected for the year that was made (announced on 16 June 2009). I bought it expecting not much about the image quality, but it surpassed my expectations. If you take the time to learn the setting available to you and learn how to process the RAW pictures on your computer, you will make photography arts with this little baby. I used the kit 14-42mm lens the entire time I took pictures with it and was very good. I upgrade now to a newer camera because I want to learn professional photography with new technology, but you will not be disappointed with this. I recommend this camera to anyone that want to save some money but take beautiful pictures. Look at some of my pictures (attached to this review) I took with this little Olympus E-PL1 with the 14-42mm kit lens (Pictures taken in RAW format and processed with Adobe Lightroom on my PC).Read full review
Verified purchase: No
I have long wished I had a digital camera that would give me the creativity that I had with my old 35mm slr, and now I have it. This camera really shines where the film slr left off. To learn, and take advantage of all it's features and programs takes a while, but a little patience and experimentation will yield some really great photos. It is really light & easy to handle, and lens changing is very smooth, and effortless. I switched up to this camera from an Olympus SP-550UZ which has a built-in viewfinder, remote trigger capibilities, macro with a push of the selector dial, and infrared metering for night, and low light conditions, all features this camera does not have, and really miss, that I think should have been incorperated into the unit for the ultimate camera. The gripping areas could have been improved also as it is really easy to press the magnify button while composing your shot. There is a thumb grip available which positions your thumb in about the same place, but out away from the body that I feel would be a real asset. There optional 40-150mm zoom lens is great addition to this kit. One can shoot in full zoom, and enlarge on your pc for nice clear photos, even at 400x. My overall opinion of this camera is I love it for daylight hours; great for daytime portrait, and landscape, and fill flash shots, but low light and night conditions without lots of lighting are out of the question. The variable rate flash is a super idea, and works really well with both external, or built-in flash. I gave this camera a 4 on features because of the short coming listed earlier, and 5 on all other categories. If you want a camera that you will use landscape, portrait, or telephoto photography this is an awesome choice, and by all means get the long zoom available for this camera you will thank yourself, and me later. One last big bonus for purchasing this unit is the wide variety of lens (most 35mm slr lenses), microscope, and telescope adapters, and flash units available to greatly increase the versitility of the E-PL1. This is a well built, lightweight camera, and perfect for general photography. Life of the rechargable lithium-ion battery far exceeds (600-800 photos) my AA ni-cad rechargables (300-400) in my other camera. If you will be shooting most all day get a spare, otherwise "Don't worry about it". I recommend this camera to most everyone, and with a little luck maybe you can get yours with the body, 14-42mm, 40-150mm lenses, flash, 16gb sd card, spare battery, Olympus carry case, car battery charger all in new condition for less than $100 like I did here on ebay.Read full review
I know it will take me weeks, maybe months to discover the features on this little gem, even though I have been using digital since 1995, and Olympus Digital Cameras since 2000. I was actually shopping for the new pro Oly E-5, when I came across th Olympus PEN digitals. I am an E-Series veteran, but knew nothing of these little guys, I guess I was just shining them on as 'point and shoot' cameras with few redeeming qualities. Imagine my surprise when I read a review, actually of the E-P2 to find out that their goal is to replace these behemoths called 'D-SLRs' That said, while I have not compared it against any competition, most notably the Panasonic G series, mostly because I have never used one. I can and do compare it to my other Olympus digitals, mt D-SLRs. It is lighter, faster, has a much bigger sensor, higher res, and it has a menu that gives you control of just about every possible combination of features. What really sold me on the E-PL1, was the HD Video capability, and the ability to use the in-camera FX for the video as well as the photos. With the addition of an MMF-2, 4:3 to m4:3 adapter, I can and do use my 4:3 lenses on the 'micro', with full auto function! The MMF-2, like all Oly attachments is pricey at almost $300 retail, but is available here on eBay for considerably less. I paid $105 for mine, and it works like a charm and will save many hundreds of dollars on lenses as I have several 4:3 lenses from my Oly D-SLRs. Highly recommended purchase, IF, you have a collection of 4:3 digital lenses from a previous camera that uses the standard 4:3 digital mount, like the Olympus E-Series cameras (Other than the fixed lens E-10 & E-20 models). Note: As there are no mirrors in this camera, or its counterparts, it can no longer be called an 'SLR', as there is no 'reflex'. Basically back to back, the sensor is behind the lens, and the LCD view screen is behind the sensor. So what we call this new breed? 'm4:3'? Guess the photo pundits will take care of that! Another innovative feature, you can add voice commentary to every photo, with the touch of one or two buttons! That is really a cool idea! I won't be able to describe actual photo results until I have used it for a while, but a cursory review of both photos and videos, I know it will be a good review. I am very impressed! Don't like? 1. No viewfinder! LCD only! Unless you 'invest' in the Electronic VF-2 attachment, which is VERY expensive, over half the price of the camera! I will live without it! (There is also a 'VF-1' finder for the 17mm wide angle lens) 2. No Remote Release! Not wired, not wireless! Self-timer is the only way to release the shutter without being at the camera. Kind of leaves out any 'spy' work. Not sure why they took this out as its older brothers the E-P1 and E-P2 both have remote capability. Guess it was a retail price and marketing decision! 3. Reserved - I will wait until I have actuated the shutter a few hundred times before deciding if there is anything else I don't like. Peace, out!Read full review
I bought this camera to replace an old Nikon D1 was was quite disappointing. The price was right as I did not want to sink a lot of money into a digital camera at this time. I like the compact size along with the long list of features, some that I may never use. I took a trip to Washington DC a few weeks ago and I was able to fit the E-PL1 into a Tamrac bag and hand-carry it during my flight. I don't like the price of the auxiliary lenses but I suppose the image quality more than makes up for the excessive cost. My wife has a Canon point-and-shoot what has great image quality especially when compared to the Canon G2 that I've had for many years so I knew that I had to update my camera gear. The 14-41mm lens is fine for most photo situations, but you may want to purchase a telephoto lens if you do a lot of long-distance photography. I will eventually purchase the electronic viewfinder, but for now the display will be fine. BTW, this camera blows away both Canons and the Nikon D1 especially when it comes to features and image quality. I'm still learning some of the features, but I'm looking forward to many fun-filled days (and nights) with this camera.Read full review
This digital camera is now over four years old, but I still recommend it. Fully worth the $500 price when it first came out, getting it now for a quarter of that is just super. The PEN E-PL1 takes excellent photographs. The four thirds micro lens system is excellent, and provides double the magnification of traditional lenses. That means a 150 lens gives zooms in like a 300. Lenses are interchangeable, so three different lenses enable you to shoot a great variety of photos with one camera. The camera is comfortable to handle, with a body that is quite small and light. It has a built-in flash, but you can attach one if you prefer. For technical details, see the Olympus website or professional reviews. If there is an area I may like improved, it may be ruggedness and weather resistance. It wasn't designed for those, so if you want them, get a camera specifically designed for them. The upgraded models that have come out since this one do offer some improvements. If you wish to spend more, check them out, but the E-PL1 is a fine camera.Read full review
I gave this camera 5 stars in all areas because for the going price I don't think you'll find much better. I bought this because I wanted more capabilities than my point and shoot could offer.The Pen E-PL1 will take very nice photographs using the automatic settings and following basic rules when shooting.It will produce exceptional images if you're willing to explore its capabilities and learn how to use them. If you're a novice like I am but are interested in photography this might be the camera for you, particularly if your budget is small. The kit lens is a good starting point and there are a number of good lenses made specifically for this camera.There are also a great number of reasonably priced lenses available that can be adapted to the E-PL1 if you're willing to use manual focus. If you're new to digital photography be prepared for some less than satisfactory results. As with any tool, there is a learning process involved. If you're interested and enjoy this process I think you'll find, over time, that the pen will deliver beautiful photos. My advice would be to read some in depth reviews of the camera and to view images taken with it. Flickr is an excellent source for the latter. Do your homework. If you want to simply point and shoot nice pictures, this camera will do it. If you want a camera capable of taking very high quality photos at a very reasonable price the pen is an excellent choice provided you're willing to do your part.Read full review
I been looking for a camera for some time and I did a research on many of Sony, Canon, Panasonic and others but I did not research any Olympus until I decided to buy the PEN E-PL1. I wanted a camera with better picture than point-and-shoot but without the price of a DSLR camera. I had a tight budged so I could not get any camera I want. I came across the Olympus E-PL1 when I was looking for a Sony NEX-3N that was the camera I wanted. The only downside was that the Sony NEX-3N was a little more expensive than the money I had so, I was looking for a camera with similar characteristic in the category of mirrorless interchangeable lenses cameras. I found the Olympus E-PL1 for the price I was looking for but I did not know anything about Olympus cameras. I did a extensive research on the E-PL1 camera and everywhere that I looked I found good reviews. Even with good reviews I was a little worry about how good this camera really was. But, with tight budget I bough it. I don't regret my decision. The camera take amazing pictures (I use RAW format for all my pictures). I even got the Olympus PEN E-PL1 for Dummies book and read about all the features and better setting to get the most of the camera can give you. Easy to operate and easy to understand features. If you get familiar with the setting and do not use only the Auto Mode you will enjoy a lot great quality pictures almost all the time. I say almost because is up to you to learn how to take good pictures. I can see some people complaining about this camera but I notice that many of them are using only the Auto Mode, and like any camera, the Auto mode is not accurate all the time. I recommend this camera to anyone but, also I recommend to do your part to learn all the potential of this camera and I bet you will enjoy this camera a lot. The Olympus PEN E-PL1 for Dummies is a very good way to learn about the features and settings. Pros: -Excellent image quality. -Great features and easy to learn. -Small enough to take to any place. -Even with plastic on front and back, it feels very well constructed and strong. -Flash built-in -Hot-shoe for external flash or stereo microphone (for movies) and external viewfinder. Cons: -Mono microphone built-in (You can buy an external stereo microphone for this camera). I would like a stereo microphone built-in and that way you have the hot-shoe free for another accessory. -Screen is only 230,000 dots. I would like at least 400,000+ for better details. Although, with the low resolution on this screen, you can see your picture in good quality. -Battery life. Is about 280 pictures from 100% charged battery. One way to resolve this problem is to buy more batteries. I found an extra battery on eBay for $5.99 so you can buy extra batteries very cheap. -Maximum of 720P resolution on movies. I would like 1080P but is not a real issue if you mainly buy the camera for pictures like me. Anyhow, the 720P quality look good on my 60" 1080P TV. I can't compare this camera to others because I did not have another camera similar to this one. To my conclusion, despite the disadvantage (some with solutions) I would recommend this camera to anyone, amateur or more advance users, that will be willing to do a little effort on learn the camera potential and that way will take great quality pictures and will have fun with this camera. If you want DSLR quality pictures but in a compact body and easier to carry, This is the camera for you. Also, is cheaper than a DSLR.Read full review
This camera is awesome! It is small enough to fit into a (large'ish) man's pants pocket with the 14-42mm zoome lense on. It is light enough that you can actually do that and forget that it's even there. And yet, it is effectively an SLR. It takes photos as good as a low-end SLR, has interchangeable lenses (can apparently use SLR 4/3 lenses with autofocus with an adapter). It's shoooting response and most of its features are similar to an SLR. I don't find the on-screen menues & options difficult or very cumbersome to use at all. My biggest complaint is that it battles to focus in very low light (you need to find something contrasty to focus on or use the manual focus ring). Oh, and I epoxied the lense-cap to the camera strap with some fishing-gut so as not to loose it! Excellent value for money. Well done Olympus!Read full review
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