R U Un-Filtered?

A Senior Prom photo event. A strapless dress and camera. A sudden downburst. A fumbled umbrella. A dropped D700. Result? A broken filter.

When it comes to protective filters photographers fall into one of two camps: filtered or unfiltered. Awhile ago I had an email exchange with Nikon guru Thom Hogan about his use of filters. Thom is a staunch un-filtered guy who likes his lenses straight. If he uses a filter at all it is only the Singh Ray neutral density filter. Thom has lots of good reasons for his opinion as do many Leica shooters who would rather die than use a filter. As for myself, make mine filtered.

Hot, Hot, Hot: E-P1 Fever

It’s been a long time since there was much of anything to get excited about, but boy are folks ever excited now. Normally calm, cool and collected commentators are almost breathless with anticipation over this new offering from Olympus. Mike Johnston has written or published eight articles about the camera since June 16th and it hasn’t even been released yet. Digital Photography Review published a multi-page preview complete with sample photos and videos. Even Nikon guru, Thom Hogan, has written about the E-P1.

"So why am I writing about an Olympus product? Those of you who remember my Compact Challenge know why: the E-P1 is one of the first cameras to come along that could be said to fit my description (compact sized camera, DSLR sensor features and image quality). . . . That's what my Compact Challenge was all about: every serious shooter I know--not some, but EVERY--is looking around for their Everywhere Camera and not quite finding it. We're looking at the E-P1 now and finding something that looks like it might pass muster.”

Here’s what people like about the newest Olympus:

Inter-changeable Lenses: Everybody seems pretty happy with the 17mm f/2.8 pancake. The 14–42mm f/3.5–5.6 zoom, not so much. The important thing is not what is available, but what will be available. With its highly adaptable Micro Four Thirds mount, the E-P1 will be able to take nearly any lens. If you think it’s amazing what folks have done with Panasonic’s G1, just wait. As for myself, my first purchase will be an M-mount adapter. I’m thinking Leica. I’m thinking Zeiss. As Thom notes:

“I'll give you a little advice: think Leica. As in M and screw-mount lenses. Quite a few small lenses for the Leica M series exist, and adapters are already available for M to m4/3. The only thing to pay attention to is the 2x magnification factor: divide the effective focal length you want by 2 to find the lens you should use. Want a 50mm equivalent? Then get something in the 24-25mm range. Lenses in the Leica mount go all the way down to 12mm, so this isn't as big a problem as it first appears. True, these are MF lenses, but they'll get you by until Olympus and Panasonic flesh out their lens lineups.”

In-body Image Stabilization (IS): Given that I am prone to some hand shake, I love IS. I also love not having to pay for it with every new lens. I wish that Nikon would get would get on board with this technology.

Size: Without having seen the camera, I assume that everyone is basing their opinion on the size comparison images at DP Review. Frankly, I could care less about pocketability, I just want something quite a bit smaller than my D700. That wouldn’t take much and I could probably get by with an E-430. Nevertheless, I want any camera that I use to have some heft to it. From what I have been able to glean, the E-P1 does seem to be “right-sized”.

Build Quality and Design: Once again, I think people are doing a lot of speculating based on the published specs. That said, the E-P1 looks to be the real deal, combining strength and beauty in one package. Olympus knocked the ball out of the park on the design. I just like looking at it. I may buy one and never charge the battery.

Nothing is perfect though, so here’s what people don’t like or are questioning.

No Built-In Optical Viewfinder (OV): To those of us who grew up with 35mm, the idea of a camera with no viewfinder, OV or otherwise, is a very strange one. Then again, I suppose the idea of a camera without a ground glass was a very strange one to my grandfather. My daughter has never owned a camera with a viewfinder. In this piece Mike does a very good job of explaining why the E-P1 cannot have a built-in OV. The same logic also explains why there are no zoom lenses for Leica Ms. I must admit, this is the one area where I too am a bit shaky. It seems to me that it would be hard to manually focus. Only an actual hands on will tell the tale. All that aside, Olympus has said that the goal with the E-P1 was reduced size. Another camera with an EVF is in the works.

Bells and Whistles: Most folks don’t seem to care about video or JPEG processing. With regards to picture styles and the like, I agree. I’m not so sure about the video though. I’m going through some old Digital Video Cassettes now and I’m having a blast. There are some subjects that just demand motion. In addition, the samples I have seen are pretty impressive.

Finally, here are some things that (sight seen and unseen) I like.

Image Quality: The few sample images are excellent. Although most of them were shot at ISOs under 800, even the couple 1600 and over look good to my eye. I know the E-P1 is no D700 in the high-ISO department, but it looks as though it would give me plenty of flexibility.

Price: Camera, lens, viewfinder and accessories for under a grand? God bless you Olympus!

The New E-P1

After some speculation the news about the new Olympus Four Third Camera finally broke today. The Olympus PEN E-P1 comes in either beige or black color schemes. Olympus also announced two lenses, a 34mm ƒ/2.8 and a 28–84mm ƒ/3.5–5.6 zoom. Read more about this exciting new camera here and here.

(Images from The Online Photographer)

Update: DP Review has posted a review with images here and sample movies here.

Micro Four Thirds Olymus "Pen"

I would be remiss if I overlooked some very exciting news. Photos of the new Olympus 4/3 have been leaked on a Japanese website. Now I am interested. Read more here.