[jct us101]

It's...BEAUTIFUL!

[and]

heh yea pentax has a tradition for prototyping things early and not making a product out of it, similarly with the FF dslr prototype they had

[and]

I was interested in the ep1, still am but after reading the paragraph below I am hoping the rumors of a m4/3 lx4 will come true because the g1 and gh1 have very fast CAF.

"For the G1 and GH1 Panasonic developed an incredibly fast new imager AF system and has been praised for getting contrast detect AF speeds up to near those offered by entry-level phase detect focus systems (as used on all SLRs). Unfortunately Panasonic didn't share that technology with Olympus, and the E-P1 uses essentially the same focus system as cameras such as the E-620, meaning that it feels sluggish even compared to most compacts (that said, we're playing with a very early IP (initial production) unit here - without the final firmware - so will reserve judgment until we've got the finished product)."

[Boris]

Having seen the dpreview preview of this new camera, and having looked at the preview picture gallery, I'd say, it is good that K-7 is not out yet. Given my budget limitations and given my 7.5 years old daughter that is my topmost photographic priority now (she shoots and does it quite good), I'd be waiting to see more of new Oly camera images. Also, indeed, being able to try and use great many (if not basically just everything) lenses of other manufacturers (with limitations of x2 crop factor, etc) is very exciting news specifically for me.

[janneman]

Rangefinders never killed off slr's.
This whole evil concept seems more rangefinder than dlsr to me.
By the way, it does look nice...
And yes I do have Olys for back up sealed 'In my pocket cameras"
This whole micro/evil business may be small but for my uses there is no advantage in something small that is not fully sealed...

[Prognathous]

Rangefinders never killed off slr's.

Rangefinders suffered from many limitations that didn't apply to SLR's:

- Parallax - fully preventing any macro or close-up use
- Generally inaccurate framing even when shooting distant subjects. Nothing even remotely close to 100% framing.
- No tele options. The longest tele lenses were 135mm (equivalent to 67mm in FourThirds, or 90mm in APS-C)
- No DOF representation in the viewfinder.
- Incompatibility with microscopes and telescopes
- Very little if any technical information in the viewfinder (not an inherent problem with the rangefinder concept, but a limitation that affected market share nonetheless).

EVIL doesn't have any of these issues. It's not going to overtake SLR's completly, but its market share is going to grow steadily. It's very likely that in 10 years SLR's will become a minor market, mainly consisting of photographers that shoot sport or BIF, or traditionalists (like film shooters today).

Prog.

[ogl]

Very stylish and very good design, but specs didn't touch me.
I hope NX3 will beat E-P1.

[vinzer]

Rangefinders suffered from many limitations that didn't apply to SLR's:

- Parallax - fully preventing any macro or close-up use
- Generally inaccurate framing even when shooting distant subjects. Nothing even remotely close to 100% framing.
- No tele options. The longest tele lenses were 135mm (equivalent to 67mm in FourThirds, or 90mm in APS-C)
- No DOF representation in the viewfinder.
- Incompatibility with microscopes and telescopes
- Very little if any technical information in the viewfinder (not an inherent problem with the rangefinder concept, but a limitation that affected market share nonetheless).

EVIL doesn't have any of these issues. It's not going to overtake SLR's completly, but its market share is going to grow steadily. It's very likely that in 10 years SLR's will become a minor market, mainly consisting of photographers that shoot sport or BIF, or traditionalists (like film shooters today).

Prog.

I agree. Olympus/Panasonic and Samsung placed good bets on where to develop their niche. Wonderful as the D700 and 5D Mk II are, they're really not mass consumption items like P&Ses are, partly due to size. Even if they shrink FF DSLRs to E-P1 size, the lenses will remain fairly large. The E-P1 casts a broad net on who it's target market will be: people who want a light, yet robust interchangeable-lens system they can bring everyday, people who want a digital rangefinder but cannot afford the Leica and Epson offerings, people upgrading from P&Ses, people looking for a large-sensor compact, and so on.

I'm sure the E-P1 will sell well, especially when prices go down to LX3 levels in a couple of months.

My sole concern is that there's no hotshoe-mounted EVF like what Ricoh has for some of their digicams, so if I get an E-P1, I'd have to shoot via LCD, which isn't really all that appealing.

Very stylish and very good design, but specs didn't touch me.
I hope NX3 will beat E-P1.

I'll be looking forward to Samsung's offering, but I have a hunch it won't be as compact as the E-P1.

[uccemebug]

I'm sure the E-P1 will sell well, especially when prices go down to LX3 levels in a couple of months.

My sole concern is that there's no hotshoe-mounted EVF like what Ricoh has for some of their digicams, so if I get an E-P1, I'd have to shoot via LCD, which isn't really all that appealing.

That Ricoh EVF struck me as being fairly nasty. A harsh image and not very large.

Very stylish and very good design, but specs didn't touch me.
I hope NX3 will beat E-P1.

Samsung's still got a lot to prove, though. Olympus is a storied camera company and over the years has produced a number of cameras that changed their market (OM series, compact rangefinder series). I think the EP1 just announced has the right features, price, look and timing.

[ogl]

That Ricoh EVF struck me as being fairly nasty. A harsh image and not very large.



Samsung's still got a lot to prove, though. Olympus is a storied camera company and over the years has produced a number of cameras that changed their market (OM series, compact rangefinder series). I think the EP1 just announced has the right features, price, look and timing.

No. Olympus won't cut 4/3 system. m4/3 will be niche product, no doubt.
Just have a look at body and 2 lenses of E-P1 and specs. Nothing interesting.
No any future plans announced.

The specs are rather modest, compare video with Pana G1/GH1.

As for me it's stylish camera to produce an impression.

[uccemebug]

No. Olympus won't cut 4/3 system. m4/3 will be niche product, no doubt.
Just have a look at body and 2 lenses of E-P1 and specs. Nothing interesting.
No any future plans announced.

The specs are rather modest, compare video with Pana G1/GH1.

As for me it's stylish camera to produce an impression.

Really? 4/3 sensor, 17mm f/2.8 lens, DSLR-like shutter lag ... nothing interesting? In that form factor I think it's really quite an accomplishment. There are mini-reviews popping up already, such as TOP's second post on the camera.

Actually, I see the G1 as something that draws people to the Panasonic display but I don't know how many sales they're generating. While I believe that Panasonic has been taking a clear leadership role in a number of areas, I've never seen anyone using a G1 on the streets of Tokyo.

[Art Vandelay II]

No. Olympus won't cut 4/3 system. m4/3 will be niche product, no doubt.
Just have a look at body and 2 lenses of E-P1 and specs. Nothing interesting.

Are you kidding? How is this camera not interesting? As much as I like the K-7, the E-P1 is more interesting. After all, the K-7 may be the first "small" pro-grade DSLR, but it is still just another DSLR. Most mainstream people won't be able to tell the difference between it and a Rebel (unless they can find somewhere to pick up the K-7, which is not likely here in America unfortunately). However, people can tell from looking at the first photo that the E-P1 is like something they've never seen before. Then when they pick it up I suspect they're going to fall in love with it seeing as how most non-serious photographers actually prefer live view over optical view finders and are used to cheapo plastic bodies.

Just take a look at how mainstream gadget blogs are falling all over themselves drooling over the E-P1.

Olympus E-P1 'digital Pen' gets official, so does our lust

[switters]

I love everything about the design and aesthetic (except the lack of an OVF, but I understand why it doesn't have one and think I could adapt) on paper. But without fast primes I just don't see the point.

[RBellavance]

Are you kidding? How is this camera not interesting?

There's no doubt the E-P1 is generating a lot of general interest. But is it so difficult to understand that it may not be appealing to everyone ?

Here's why it's not interesting to me as a "main" camera:

- no viewfinder. The add-on for the 17mm doesn't count, as it's not general-purpose (and if Imaging-Resource is to be believed, its FOV/coverage does not even match the lens'...)
- low-resolution LCD, which is the main framing/composing device
- cramped/compromised ergonomics
- no wireless flash control

And the price makes it unappealing as a "backup/pocketable" camera.

Doubtless it will appeal to many people, and I'm pretty sure it wil be a success-story for Olympus. But it is not for me.

[ogl]

4/3 sensor is not intresting at all. Slow lenses too. m17/2.8 is not for me. No OVF.
Cheap LCD. Silver and white colours are no good too.

About AF -
it feels sluggish even compared to most compacts

Good body and it's all.

I'd prefer plastic NX3 with APC-s sensor and fast prime.