Olympus' compact E-P1: A breath of fresh air

The Olympus E-P1 with its small 17mm lens attached.

(Credit: Olympus)

The Olympus E-P1 camera, a hybrid designed to combine advantages of both compact cameras and SLRs, is a welcome arrival in a digital camera market struggling to find new directions.

The small and light camera that debuted Tuesday features interchangeable lenses and relatively large sensor that endow SLRs with flexibility and higher image quality, but it's also got a small body of a compact camera. It has the potential to appeal to SLR owners who want something smaller and to compact camera owners who want something better, if Olympus can convince people to surmount a significant obstacle, price.

Like most hybrids--gaming laptops, for example, or bicycles with aspects of both road bikes and mountain bikes--the E-P1 sacrifices specialization for versatility. But the digital camera market is saturated, and the E-P1 is a promising member of a newer camera breed.

There are a handful of competitors with similar aspirations. Canon's G10, the newest in its G series of high-end compact cameras, is one example. Nikon's GPS-enabled P6000 is another, though, like the G10, it doesn't have an interchangeable lens. And Panasonic's G1 and GH1, which employ the same Micro Four Thirds lens and sensor standard as the E-P1, are probably closest.

The biggest knock against these cameras is price. Their relatively large sensors--especially those in the Micro Four Thirds cameras--cost a lot to manufacture, and fast electronics and high complexity just make things worse. Few people are willing to spend more than $300 on a camera, much less the hybrid cameras.

Brace yourself for some sticker shock. The Nikon P6000 costs about $400, the Canon G10 about $450, the Panasonic G1 $640, and the Panasonic GH1--which adds video abilities to the G1--a whopping $1,500. Olympus is in the middle: the E-P1 costs $750 for the body alone, $800 with a 14-42mm lens, and $900 with the appealingly flat 17mm "pancake" lens.

Olympus has a long history with compact cameras. Modern Photography's advice column in August 1973 recommended holding on to Olympus Pen cameras.

Micro Four Thirds
The E-P1 is the first from Olympus that uses the Micro Four Thirds standard, a variation on the Four Thirds standard that governs sensors and lenses on Olympus' SLR cameras; the Panasonic G1 and GH1 were the first Micro Four Thirds cameras on the market. Micro Four Thirds employs smaller lenses than SLRs, and because there's no internal SLR mirror to direct light to a viewfinder and dedicated autofocus system, the camera body is more compact.

Existing Olympus SLR users will probably have more of an affinity for Micro Four Thirds cameras because their lenses can be used on the smaller cameras with an adapter. However, that means more bulk compared to Micro Four Thirds' lenses.

Olympus is touting its long history as a camera maker with the E-P1. The camera's design is deliberately reminiscent of the Olympus Pen, a compact camera introduced 50 years ago that took photos on half frames of 35mm film, and the Pen F from 1963, which added interchangeable lenses.

It's probably a smart move to try to cater to film camera nostalgia buffs. Those with a longer history in photography are more likely to appreciate what the E-P1 has to offer--and to be able to afford it. And when going head-to-head with electronics companies such as Sony that have entered the camera market, it's smart to press any advantage you can.

Fundamentally, the E-P1--and its successors--will sink or swim depending on how well it works, though. Here, it's got some strong assets.

First and foremost is that large sensor. Olympus' Four Thirds sensor is smaller than those in market-leading Nikon and Canon SLRs, but compared to compact cameras, it's spacious. That gives advantages in low-light performance and handling a broader bright-to-dark range.

Olympus is likes the retro look with the E-P1.

(Credit: Olympus)

Next is the selection of lenses. The E-P1 with two or three lenses would make a nice versatile camera for your round-the-world tour or other occasions where space and weight are at a premium.

Unfortunately, the small-lens advantage diminishes toward the telephoto end of the spectrum, so don't expect the remarkably svelte 17mm or reasonably compact 14-42mm to be the model when you move to something in the 50-200mm range (100-400mm in 35mm equivalent terms) for your safari trip.

Olympus plans to release an ultrazoom in 2010 that will probably be a reasonable choice if you want just single lens. I'm not an ultrazoom fan, given the compromises in optical quality necessary to reach the big zoom range, but I recognize I have more patience for switching lenses than most folks, and an ultrazoom is better for shooting video.

One of my worries with the E-P1 was with autofocus, since it lacks SLRs' snappy phase-detect systems. But in my brief test with the camera, focus was reasonable--and I quite like the instant 5X magnification mode for manual focusing.

The camera has some missing pieces, though. There's no built-in flash, which is handy for filling in those sunset shots, and there's no viewfinder, though the 17mm lens comes with one that perches in the flash hot-shoe.

Overall, I like Olympus' pared-down approach better than Panasonic's bulked-up Micro Four Thirds philosophy. Either way, though, the trend bodes well.

If the companies can rein in their prices while fleshing out the lens selection, their hybrid design could find a sweet new spot in the camera market.

[carguy622]

I won't be ready to jump on the micro 4/3 bandwagon for at least 3 generations of cameras. I'm not sure if this concept will be a hit with consumers. I see a couple of limitations for the micro 4/3 cameras:

1) No optical viewfinder. I know that the lack of a mirror box is what allows these cameras to be so small, but after using my first SLR I love the shooting experience of a through the lens viewfinder. 2) The Olympus has no flash built in. I rarely use flash, but sometimes it's necessary. I know you can mount a flash, but it kind of ruins the idea of a small camera. 3) The smaller 4/3 sensor does not handle high ISO noise as well as Canon and Nikon. 4) Price... you said it yourself (and at this price Olympus is using a low resolution screen, your only framing option).

Also I think that the Sigma DP1 and 2 and the Panasonic LX3 can also been seen as competitors. More so than the Nikon.

[Shankland]

You're right about the Panasonic LX3. And while Sigma DP1 and DP2 are competitors, too, I just don't actually see much of them in the real world. E.g. Flickr's camera finder says Flickr has 186K photos for the DP1 and apparently doesn't have enough for the DP2 to cross the threshold of statistically notable yet

http://www.flickr.com/cameras/sigma/

In contrast, Canon's top camera at Flickr in terms of number of shots, the Rebel XT (aka 350D) has more than 7 million, the G10 has 1.8 million, and the G9 has 7.2 million.

[alenas]

I feel that Panasonic with Leica is going to show us something to compete with this camera in September...If they do not - I am getting this Olympus...

[richardkaufmann]

I'm a little concerned that the "hype-o-meter" isn't higher than it is. Us folks with big honking DSLRs (I swear I've bulked up my arm muscles hauling my 1ds iii all over the planet) are looking for "the one:" the little camera that takes great pictures at ISO 800 (dare we dream for 1600!?). We've all owned Canon G's (myself G7 and then G9) cameras, and have been only marginally happy with them. We all complain, but we all own one.

The DP1 and DP2? Held them, hated them. The Leica M8? WAY too expensive, and I swear, the images aren't that great. The other wannabees? Meh.

So why aren't folks saying this is the best thing since sliced bread? I haven't heard moans of delight from ANYONE about the thing. It actually sounds kind of ho-hum-ish. Please, tell me I'm wrong, and that I'll be blown away when the real reviews come out. I not only want the category to succeed, but darnitall, I want to buy this thing if it's any good!

And while I'm being a fussy, spoiled jerk of a consumer, I'm really upset they didn't come out with an underwater housing for this "day and date" with the camera release. Canon does it with the G's.

Hrmpf!

[JimBob88--2008]

The reason they might not be saying it's the best thing since sliced bread is that it doesn't seem to be. It's not that small, and for the same or lower price you can get a canon rebel or Nikon something with an aps sensor that will get you good results at iso 1600. And better results than this.

What would be exciting to me would be something with the size and versatility of the panasonic tz/lz and the samsung wb550's with a sensor this size (or slightly smaller) at around $400.00. And - no the g10 and lx3 are not those things.

It's kind of boutiquee and coy to me. A digital camera that wants to look like film. Well polaroid's gone and kodachrome's gone - so let's move on and stop playing pretend.

[Shankland]

There's a basic physics problem. The larger your sensor, the larger your lens has to be. So don't expect an eensy-weensy compact with a large sensor unless (like the Sigma DP1 and DP2 for example) it has a fixed and pretty wide-angle lens.

[JimBob88--2008]

I'm not sure it's a law of physics. Remember the canon AEs. That was a 35mm telephoto on a tiny camera which would equate to somewhere in the 100s for these sensors. I also have 150mm 4x5 lenses the size of a quarter. Also look at the waterproof cameras with folded optics..

Also the 1/1.6 sensors are about $50 apiece now - so why they're cramming 12mpx on even tinier sensors is beyond me.

At this point they have nowhere else to go but up (in sensor size) so I think we'll be seeing some interesting packaging within a year. IE: all out digital bells and whistles hooked up to a sensor that can create a decent file plus raw or tiff output.

The lx3 and g10 seem to be purposely crippled in the bells and whistles dept. for the purposes of "good taste". Sort of a "we're digital - no we're film" kind of game. They're a little computer, with a little sensor, so work it and enough with the retro game.

[ZUrlocker]

Stephen,
great write up. Personally, I don't think the E-P1 is gonna work for me due to lack of built-in flash and the overall size once you add a decent zoom lens. Still I am glad to see the recent progress in making compact cameras better. I swore off SLRs many years back --just too much trouble to carry with me. Every compact camera is a compromise and right now I have a Canon G9 that does the trick for me. It has its limitations in shutter speed and noise, but overall, it does a decent job on photos and does great video. Hopefully the efforts from Olympus, Panasonic will spur on more improvements.

--Zack

[insickofit]

It seems, to me, from reading many early reviews like this one, that the complaints are from: 1) People who want a shirt pocket camera with DSLR performance i.e. "it' rather large!" or 2) people who like the size, but want a built-in flash and TTL viewfinder.
I tried the E-P1 yesterday and found the focusing speed to be very good compared with other compacts.
I also tried the Panasonic G-1, but it looks too much like all the DSLR's, with the bulge (for the flash) on top extending over the lens, and the big lump of a handgrip/battery compartment on the right.
I want the E-P1, with 17mm pancake and viewfinder, to start. That will suit me very well!
It would be nice if Olympus adds an EVF (electronic viewfinder) to fit on the hot-shoe like on the Ricoh GX 200 (very cool!)








cal

[kyle5434]

I'll likely be camera shopping late this year or early next year, and already having an E-300 and E-1, I had been considering an E-620 as a more compact "street shooting" camera, especially with the 25mm pancake lens. The E-P1 with 17mm pancake lens and viewfinder seems like it might fit that bill even better...