OlympusE-p1
Latest
Olympus E-PL2 camera gets reviewed, deemed worthy to carry on the E-PL1's torch
Olympus's E-PL2 only surfaced on the public radar just last month, and already reviews are rolling in indicating The Schwartz is quite strong with this latest Micro Four Thirds entrant. Interestingly enough, both Photography Blog and Popular Mechanics saw the improved MSC 14 to 42mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens as the most important change to the new rig. That's because it's been retooled to be lighter, slimmer, and shorter, adding to the overall compact feel of the camera. A new internal focus is also apparently much faster and nearly silent -- making it more appealing for video shooting. Outside of the lens changes, both saw the camera's new 3-inch, 460,000-dot LCD, faster max shutter speeds, and greater ISO sensitivity as welcomed additions to the solid foundations laid by the E-PL1, resulting in a highly recommended rating from PB. Reviewers at Popular Mechanics also futzed around with the new Bluetooth-enabled photo sharing PENPal accessory and found it great for transferring photos to a phone -- but lamented how it blocked the camera's hot shoe in the process. To dive into all the juicy review details for yourself hit up the source links below.
Olympus E-P1 outfitted with Rollei EVF
Looking to add even more retro flavor to your Olumpus E-P1? Then you might want to consider taking after Flickr user Lok Cheung, who was inspired by the Rolleiflex TLR to create this Rollei EVF (of sorts) for the Micro Four Thirds camera. While the setup isn't actually anything more than a viewfinder for viewing the screen, Lok nonetheless says the results are "really good," with the viewfinder resting almost right behind the lens, and the manual focus "almost as fast as you can get on a true manual camera." Not the most practical camera mod, perhaps, but certainly one of the more interesting ones.
Olympus E-P1 meets 50-200mm SWD lens monstrosity, hilarity ensues
We've already seen plenty of the Olympus E-P1, but when we dropped by Olympus' booth today at IFA we just couldn't resist slapping on the biggest lens they had, courtesy of the micro four thirds to standard four thirds adapter, and shooting a bit of dramatic show floor footage. The verdict? It's totally impractical, especially because there's no autofocus during video with certain lenses, meaning we're stuck working the manual focus ring, D90-style. Still, we didn't expect anything different, and our short film entitled "People Wandering Around, Totally Out of Focus" really made the effort worth while. Oh, and for our money? The white model is about twice as sexy as the gray. Videos are after the break.
How would you change Olympus' E-P1?
Just look at that little bugger. Ain't it just so cute? All jesting aside, the adorably retro piece of kit you're inevitably peering at above rings up at $799 to $899, meaning that it's priced way too high to be slotted in most consumers' impulse buy category. Olympus' E-P1 was launched with high hopes, and it pretty much held the weight of the Micro Four Thirds world on its shoulders. During our time with the unit, we found image quality to be satisfactory overall and the design to be simply stunning, but we certainly didn't come away feeling it was flawless. For those of you who overlooked the entry-level DSLR in order to try something different, how has that decision treated you? Are you full of remorse? Could you not be happier? Spill all in comments below.
Olympus E-P1 review roundup
Olympus did its darnedest to drum up hype for the recently unveiled E-P1 Micro Four Thirds shooter, and while we already shared our two pennies on the thing, we figured it prudent to round up the best of the best from elsewhere on the web to give you a fuller picture. The long and short of it is this: the E-P1 is universally praised in terms of image quality, with the only real knock in that department going to higher-than-likable noise levels in low-light scenarios. Still, a camera is about more than just the output, and reviewers were quick to lament the dearth of an integrated viewfinder and flash. Furthermore, critics panned the camera for being slow to focus, oftentimes requiring well over half a second to finally settle and snap a shot. That said, we couldn't find anyone who wasn't won over by the image quality, but we'd make darn sure those other nuisances won't frustrate you to no end before falling for the cute factor.Read - PhotographyBLOGRead - DigiCamReviewRead - photocratiRead - PhotographyPressRead - OutbackPhotoRead - CNETRead - Steves Digicams
Olympus E-P1 available to those willing to pay a little premium
If you've been lusting over the latest Micro Four Thirds entrant from Olympus just like we have since we first saw the E-P1, you'll be happy to know that it has finally entered that special time in its life when it's not available through mainstream retailers just yet, but it is available -- if you're willing to pay a bit more than Amazon's (still unshipped) pre-order asking price of $749. Kit prices of the body with the 14 - 42mm kit lens we tested are right now ranging between $799 (MSRP) and $899 (a Benjamin premium) at various Amazon affiliates, and while anyone willing to refrain from clicking the "Buy" button for a week or three will surely save quite a bit, waiting is such a bother.[Thanks, Ron M.]
Engadget Podcast 153 - 07.03.2009: Independence Day edition
It's your holiday weekend America -- how are you going to spend it? We'll tell you how: by listening to Engadget Podcast 153 over, and over, and over. What better way to utilize your extra day off and barbecue-packed good times than by putting Josh, Paul, and Nilay on repeat for you (and your friends') enjoyment? Check out the 'cast this week as the boys explore the ups and downs of the Olympus E-P1, Dell's MID plans, and field a handful of questions from our handsome, intelligent, and just basically awesome listeners. You won't be disappointed. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Virt - Katamari on the Rock Hear the podcast 00:02:10 - Olympus E-P1 hands-on, test shots, and mini-review 00:10:26 - Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 gets officially detailed, priced for US market 00:14:22 - Wii MotionPlus impressions: it works, but so far the games aren't worth the fuss 00:24:45 - Dell working on iPod touch-esque Android MID, says WSJ 00:32:08 - Android 1.5 gets official SDK for native development 00:38:10 - Video: Mobinnova élan sporting a custom Tegra UI 00:47:30 - Video: NVIDIA Tegra's GPU gets busy with HD video and full-screen Flash -- Intel 945GSE shrugs, kicks dirt 00:47:30 - Verizon BlackBerry Tour unboxing 00:50:17 - BlackBerry Tour hands-on, wild sibling confrontation with Curve and Bold 00:53:00 - RIM CEO: "SurePress is here to stay" 00:57:00 - 13-year-old trades iPod for Walkman, reports on mysterious ancient artifact 01:04:55 - iPhone 3GS review 01:07:15 - Palm Pre review Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
Olympus E-P1 hands-on, test shots, and mini-review
It goes without saying that we've been pretty excited about the Olympus E-P1 (or "digital Pen") since we first laid eyes on the prototype the company was showing off. The Micro Four Thirds camera just seems to breed gadget lust amongst the staff, combining the best of modern tech with a throwback retro style that is somewhat irresistible. Of course, no one wants to drop $800 on a digicam unless it's actually capable of taking a decent shot -- so we thought we'd put the E-P1 through some basic paces to see if this guy is worth unloading nearly a grand on. Read on for some of our first impressions and observations.
Olympus PEN E-P1 production unit unboxed, we shudder with jealousy
Some jerk in the UK went and bought an Olympus PEN E-P1 camera from a store and had to go home and tell the whole internet about it. They even bothered to shoot an unboxing of the little Micro Four Thirds wonder, like we would care.
Olympus E-P1 now available for pre-order
You might've noticed this already, but for those out there who share our lust for Olympus' E-P1 "digital Pen," but haven't done too much digging, consider this a public service announcement. The retro-chich micro four thirds camera is now available for pre-order from a handful of online retailers, with several different packages to choose from based with various body color (silver or white) and lens color (silver or black) combinations. Looks like it'll still cost you about $750 if you want body only, but really, at this point we don't know why you wouldn't pay an additional Ulysses S. Grant and grab a lens with it. Ready to smash that E-P1 piggy bank a bit early? You've got plenty of retailers willing to help you out there, but don't feel too pressured, there's still a little bit of time to decide before the July launch.Read - AdoramaRead - AmazonRead - B&HRead - J&R
Engadget Podcast 151 - 06.19.2009
It's been one hell of a month, hasn't it? New Palm phones, new iPhones, a big Kindle, that Natal thing... LL Cool J. Yes, a lot has happened in the past few weeks, and it's tough to contain all of that activity inside one teensy podcast -- but we've tried. Join Josh, Paul, and Nilay for another adventurous adventure through time, space, and love as they explore the deeper meanings of the cosmos, the universe, and consumer facing gadgetry. If you don't love the way you feel after listening to this thing, you may already be a zombie. Update: We had some issues with the MP3 of the podcast -- should be working now. Ping us if you have trouble! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Viva La Vida Hear the podcast 00:02:05 - iPhone 3G S review 00:13:47 - Video: Josh, Jimmy Fallon, and the iPhone 3 Ga-Speed 00:25:54 - MacBook Pro (mid 2009) in-depth impressions 00:41:30 - Nokia N97 hands-on and impressions 00:45:12 - LL Cool J's hilariously aggressive N97 ad: "don't call it a comeback" 00:50:20 - WebOS homebrewers say 'Hello World!' to Palm Pre 00:58:00 - Pre gets NES emulation in Linux; our thumbs are in for a world of hurt 00:59:18 - Amazon Kindle DX unboxing and hands-on! 01:06:30 - Project Natal basis for new Xbox console coming Fall 2010? 01:06:50 - Like weeds: new Natal Xbox rumor shot down, 3D Xbox rumor pops up to take its place 01:07:35 - Project Natal recognizing retail shelves in 2010, says Ballmer (update: maybe not) 01:09:50 - Johnny Chung Lee joins Project Natal team, puts Wii hacking experience to good use 01:13:17 - Olympus E-P1 'digital Pen' gets official, so does our lust 01:15:25 - Olympus E-P1 video samples posted, camera turns up in ad-within-an-ad Blendtec spot 01:19:00 - Engadget Chinese goes hands-on with the Olympus E-P1 01:20:00 - Adamo redux: Dell teases new thin-and-light laptops in Paris with no specs Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
Engadget Chinese goes hands-on with the Olympus E-P1
Our brethren on the other side of the world got some quality time with the new Olympus E-P1 Micro Four Thirds shooter -- and we do mean quality. Peep the two read links for samples, especially that second link for endless YouTube vids, including the fun but frame-rate-destroying effect modes.Read - Hardware hands-onRead - Video samples
Olympus E-P1 video samples posted, camera turns up in ad-within-an-ad Blendtec spot
There's much to love about the new Olympus E-P1, but the hip new thing for the DSLR market is video, and Panasonic has already demonstrated with the Lumix DMC-GH1 that Micro Four Thirds cameras are in some ways even better suited to the demands of high quality point-and-shoot video. The folks at Digital Photography Review have some samples up now of the E-P1's video performance, and while we'd like to see how the camera fares indoors as well, the outdoor samples they've posted are very promising. The colors seem just a touch washed out, but there's great motion and clarity, and solid manual controls. It is interesting to note that while the camera does include some built-in effects, most of them dramatically reduce the frame rate -- making them more or less useless. Most unfortunate, however, is the fact that there's no auto focus in video mode, which is where the DMC-GH1 still reigns supreme in DSLR land. Hit up the read link for the videos, or if that's not your style check out the bemusing Blendtec advert for the E-P1 after the break -- it's a real viral meets meta mashup, or something like that.[Thanks Richard L.]Update: We've heard conflicting word on auto focus. According to Photography Review's preview, the camera doesn't have auto focus in video mode, but according to the Olympus press release, as Super Marxio pointed out in comments, there is auto focus during recording. Perhaps Photography Review was looking at a non-final version of the camera. We do know that the camera does auto focus using contrast detection, like a regular compact camera, and while that's the same method used by the GH1, DP Review claims it's slightly inferior -- though they did state they were working with a 0.9 firmware.
