Olympus EP-1 preview and analysis

After almost a long year wait, at last Olympus first micro four thirds system camera is leaked on the web and attract quite a lot of buzz. This camera will be quite confusing for new buyers. It is not a compact camera, and it is also not a DSLR, it is entire new system.

The idea of micro four thirds system is to combine the great image quality and interchangeable lenses of DSLR camera with the size and simplicity of a compact camera.

For you guys that do not familiar with this system, here are their characteristics:

• Significantly smaller and lighter than DSLR, but thicker and bigger than average compact camera.
• Able to change lenses
• Use four thirds sensor which is slightly smaller than the popular APS-C sensor in dSLR but 5-6 times bigger than average compact. This cause the image quality is significantly better and easier to control depth of field. Compare to APS-C sensor, the image will be noiser in higher ISO setting. (low light condition).
• M43 uses electronic viewfinder (EVF) or lcd screen to compose photo instead of mirror/prism in SLR camera. EVF is regardless inferior to mirror/prism viewfinder because you don’t see the actual subject live through the lens but from the EVF/lcd screen.
• M43 system user can use four third system lens with a special adapter.

Olympus E-P1 is not the first camera for m43 system. The first is Panasonic G1 which is available since last year. So what a big deal with E-P1? There are several reasons. First, it is the first Olympus camera dedicated for m43. Second, the size of the camera almost the same as advance compact like Canon G9, Sigma DP1 and so on. Check out the comparison here. The last one is users hope that there is improvement from previous cameras (Panasonic G1, GH1) and also there are one or two lenses that will come with the camera.

From the leaked image, we can see that many controls of the camera has been simplified or just removed. The camera has no built-in flash, viewfinder and AF assist lamp. But one thing is clear, this camera will have anti dust sensor built-in because there is SSWF (Super Sonic Wave Filter) light indicator on the top of the camera.

update: This camera will have external viewfinder dedicated for 17mm lens.

Camera AF Operation
According to DC resource, Olympus E-P1 AF operation in good (bright) light is twice as fast as other Olympus camera in live view mode. It means the AF is far slower than other DSLR camera who has viewfinder. On the other hand, AF operation in low light is very sluggish. It might take seconds. Unfortunately, there will be no issue of shutter lag.

Movie Mode
This will be the first Olympus four thirds sensor camera that able to capture movie. There is no manual control on movie, but you can adjust Aperture using AE mode and continuous AF. The camera record stereo sound which is better than some movie recording DSLR.

The camera is for…
In my opinion, this camera is designed for hobbyist and consumers. The size will be very appealing to compact camera users who are looking for better quality image and capability of a DSLR camera. It will also be appealing for hobbyists or professional as a backup or scouting camera when they don’t want to be bothered to carry much weight in their backpacks.

Will this camera successful to penetrate to higher-end market such as for professionals or advanced amateur? maybe in the future. There are many aspects need to be improved in this system such as the continuous shooting speed, EVF responsiveness, image quality in high ISO setting, and collection of hi grade lenses. But so far this system is off to a good start.

The key challenge for Olympus and other m43 supporter is to make sure that the price is affordable to wide range of consumers especially that are ready to upgrade from point and shoot camera. If the price is too high, this system might fail to capture significant market share.

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