Pan GF1 or Olympus E-P2?

[wonglp]

Using the adapter, will the AIS (F-mount) lenses be fully functional (like aperture-reading, focusing info) with the gf1 / ep-2?

No, it's fully manual, put in A mode, set aperture manually from lens,the camera will do the auto exposure for u, u can only see the shutter speed from exif data not aperture.the 3rd party adapters have no electronic contacts to transfer the info, unless u opt for confirm chip to stick on.hope that answers ur qn?

 

[ykgen]

Hi niwedehos,

I had some old nikon AIS lenses which i still use with my D200. Can i use them on m4/3? (will be fantastic news if i can) From your comments above, seems like manual focus will do better on the gf1 than the ep-2. Any reasons why?

I read / seen a lot of ep-2 pics with art filters and they are really nice. I wonder if the same can be done (during shooting or post processing) with the gf1?

Thanks for your input bro.

i believe the filter effects can be reproduce with photoshop but painstaking n wasting time.. with E-P2, i only need to switch to filter mode n shoot away

 

[Ctho]

thanks...

 

[niwdehos]

No, it's fully manual, put in A mode, set aperture manually from lens,the camera will do the auto exposure for u, u can only see the shutter speed from exif data not aperture.the 3rd party adapters have no electronic contacts to transfer the info, unless u opt for confirm chip to stick on.hope that answers ur qn?

I know some chips are programmable if you're using a prime, meaning you could hardcode the focal length, f-stop etc on the chip so you get exif data going back to the body when you shoot...

AIS is also F-mount right? If so, then there are Nikon F to m4/3 adapters available

manual focus is better in GF-1 due to better LCD resolution, and the manual focus assist works a little better. but if you will use the Oly VF-2 EVF attachment, then that is said to be even better

i'm planning to shoot MF using the LCD screen & it seems more straightforward & easier to me on the GF1 then the EP2. Not planning to get the EVF though....

 

[pchmj]

Hijack the thread abit coz i'm also planning to get a M43 system...
i've had the chance to compare the EP-2 and GF1 side by side, taking a shot with the same iso / f-stop / shutter settings, my preference is towards Olympus for the more natural colour imaging... though design wise, i'll have to go with GF1.
Thirdly, with thoughts of using some old zeiss lenses on the body, ease of manual focussing will be important - pointing to GF1.
Alas, still undecided a bit here & there but more towards GF1... probably will try to check out some unedited images from GF1 first before making the plunge!

Manual focus with GF-1 easier than EP-2? Are you trying EP-2 without the EVF?

Manual focusing can't get easier with VF-2.

 

[wksoh]

Hijack the thread abit coz i'm also planning to get a M43 system...
i've had the chance to compare the EP-2 and GF1 side by side, taking a shot with the same iso / f-stop / shutter settings, my preference is towards Olympus for the more natural colour imaging... though design wise, i'll have to go with GF1.
Thirdly, with thoughts of using some old zeiss lenses on the body, ease of manual focussing will be important - pointing to GF1.
Alas, still undecided a bit here & there but more towards GF1... probably will try to check out some unedited images from GF1 first before making the plunge!

Olympus natural color? It's the other way round, Olympus default Jpeg has higher color saturation that's more pleasing to the eye and hence less PP needed. GF1 color is more life like which is less pleasing and need color enhancement.

 

[wonglp]

I know some chips are programmable if you're using a prime, meaning you could hardcode the focal length, f-stop etc on the chip so you get exif data going back to the body when you shoot...

i'm planning to shoot MF using the LCD screen & it seems more straightforward & easier to me on the GF1 then the EP2. Not planning to get the EVF though....

GF1 has a better resolution LCD so for indoor shoot, MF is better than the pen,also has a dedicated zoom button which is useful for fast magnification, EP2 dun have that. while EPL1 has this.
For outdoor my preference is epl1+VF2, anytime, coz the LCD screen will be tough to use even bumped to brightest. I did a VF2 user review maybe that might help
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=703347
That's y i had to sell off ep1 and change to epl1+vf2 for manual lenses. gf1 wasn't my list coz of oly colors. But if u do pp & raw, it doesn't really matter. hope that helps

 

[chitchat]

thanks for the comments...
Questions:
1) gf1 + pan 20mm vs ep2 + pan 20mm, ep2 get a better image because gf1 no in body stabliser, is that true?

2) oly 14-42mm lens is not good as compare to pan 14-45mm lens, is this true?

3) ep2+pan 14-45mm+pan 20mm, is this a better combination or gf1+ pan 14-45mm+pan 20mm? or any recommendation?

From the budget wise, i prefer to get epl1 which is similar to ep2 (function wise). Do u guys have any idea to the price of gf1, epl1 and ep2? heard that some price are drop...

However, i prefer the retro look of ep2...headache...help...

 

[wonglp]

thanks for the comments...
Questions:
1) gf1 + pan 20mm vs ep2 + pan 20mm, ep2 get a better image because gf1 no in body stabliser, is that true?
better as in less blur?
i doubt it's a big issue for 20mm on either body for its weight and focal length, as it's a bright lens (f1.7). if shutter speed too low for handheld, then ramp up iso.

2) oly 14-42mm lens is not good as compare to pan 14-45mm lens, is this true?
the thing that's being talked abt is the focusing speed of 42 vs 45. 42 being slower due to its design,even with latest pen firmware. the only to compare that is to test it at the shop with latest firmwares (which is difficult) so as to be comparative. or buy both from B&S and sell it later at little or no loss:devil:
in terms optical, i don;t think much difference.
14-42 has a collapsible design so it can be retracted, some ppl like some don't. 14-45 is heavier as it's OIS.
3) ep2+pan 14-45mm+pan 20mm, is this a better combination or gf1+ pan 14-45mm+pan 20mm? or any recommendation?

seems u already set on the pany lens, it's only which body to choose?
ur choice boils down to the difference in the 2 bodies which had been discussed in this, so which body depends on what's important to u, we can't decide for u. if not, buy both bodies 2nd hand from B&S, and sell off at little loss later.

From the budget wise, i prefer to get epl1 which is similar to ep2 (function wise). Do u guys have any idea to the price of gf1, epl1 and ep2? heard that some price are drop...

However, i prefer the retro look of ep2...headache...help...

take panadol..;p

 

[niwdehos]

Manual focus with GF-1 easier than EP-2? Are you trying EP-2 without the EVF?

Manual focusing can't get easier with VF-2.

My preference is towards shooting MF using LCD. why? based on my brief experience shooting MF on my 5DMii, using both viewfinder (with egs) and using LCD (with 10x magnify), generally using LCD will beat viewfinder for sure in terms of subject sharpness! esp moving subjects or subjects shot with very thin DOF... Hence, my decision to not even plan to get the EVF, but again, that's just me!

 

[Ctho]

thanks for the comments...
Questions:
1) gf1 + pan 20mm vs ep2 + pan 20mm, ep2 get a better image because gf1 no in body stabliser, is that true?

2) oly 14-42mm lens is not good as compare to pan 14-45mm lens, is this true?

3) ep2+pan 14-45mm+pan 20mm, is this a better combination or gf1+ pan 14-45mm+pan 20mm? or any recommendation?

From the budget wise, i prefer to get epl1 which is similar to ep2 (function wise). Do u guys have any idea to the price of gf1, epl1 and ep2? heard that some price are drop...

However, i prefer the retro look of ep2...headache...help...

I'm also having problems deciding which one to get...

Pros for gf1 - faster af, 20mm 1.7, built in flash.

Pros for ep2 - art filters.

Physical appearance of both are ok to me.....

Hard to decide......

 

[niwdehos]

Olympus natural color? It's the other way round, Olympus default Jpeg has higher color saturation that's more pleasing to the eye and hence less PP needed. GF1 color is more life like which is less pleasing and need color enhancement.

Sorry bro but i really beg to differ on this... in fact, I just found this review site, its a direct comparison between gf1 & ep2 in terms of performance and i still stand my ground that olympus provides for more natural colour...

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Olympus-EP2-vs-Panasonic-Lumix-DMCGF1-12937

 

[firnie]

After reading this thread, It helped for me to make a quick decision on the GF1!!

Thanks guys/gals for the various inputs and having tried the camera for a day. The shots that turned out were spectacular (at least for me!!)

Now to learn a bit more from you peeps to help me along to better photography and hopefully transfer to my knowledge (limited) on the DSLR.

 

[Oly5050]

I think a lot of people think that GF1 and EP2 are comparable. Actually, the equivalent of the GF1 is not the EP2/1 but the EPL1.

But perhaps on price point, they are comparable.

In any case, I agree that the EPs have much nicer colours and perhaps more natural. GF1 tend to be a bit cool and EPs tend to be slightly warm. But people and most photography tend to benefit from a slightly warmer look.

The other thing is that it takes way more skill to shoot with the EPs. Firstly, the AF is slightly slower and it really struggles to focus in the dark because got no AF assist light.

Most people are also more wowed by the high res LCD on the GF1.

In general, I would recommend people to get the GF1 because it is simpler to use and has on board flash.

Also, I think this on board flash is so over-rated. I have learnt that if u really want to take nice flash photography, a hotshoe flash is sine-qua-non. If u use any onboard flash, its gonna look flat, if u know how to judge the photo.

My only main grouse with the PENS is the lack of an low light AF assist lamp or an AF assist light function that works with the FL36/50R.

 

[spidey89]

The way 2 the brands process their images are different, from the website,it seems Oly images are cooler than the Pana, and the Pana has a red cast to it as compared to the Oly which is more neutral, Oly has more natural colours and renders better skin tones than the Pana,I remember someone once asking what can he/she do to reduce the red tone in his images

in the noise test, the grey of the Olympus seems to be lighter as compared to the Pana

One important to note is, is your screen calibrated? If it isn't,it is very hard to say which is better because each screen,even similar models are different, the colours may be pleasing to you,but when you calibrate your screen,the images are different entirely, but most important is to remember,to each their own,if they're happy with the images, that's all that matters,no point arguing red apple and green apples

 

[Ctho]

Does anyone know where is Ep-2 & GF1 made? Japan or China?

 

[JW73]

ht.

Most people are also more wowed by the high res LCD on the GF1.

.

It's the same as most people are wow by the High res of LVF of Pens

From the review, I do prefer Pens colours although I uses GF1. But I know I can readjust (spent time) on photos I like for more punchy colours etc.


To really come down to a decision on which 2 cameras is really tough. End of the day, we just adjust to the camera pro and cons. No perfect camera. Get one of them, and start shooting is more important.

 

[spidey89]

Does anyone know where is Ep-2 & GF1 made? Japan or China?

GF1 should be China(Can someone comfirm this?) and the PENs are made in China, but does it really matter? I find it silly to choose a camera based on where its made from, as long as quality control is there,its fine,the Rollei 35 is made in Singapore :bsmilie:

 

[JW73]

GF1 should be China(Can someone comfirm this?) and the PENs are made in China, but does it really matter? I find it silly to choose a camera based on where its made from, as long as quality control is there,its fine,the Rollei 35 is made in Singapore :bsmilie:

I saw my GF was made in Japan(printed next to the battery door)...Didn't know still made in Japan? Iphones all assembled in China.

 

[spidey89]

I saw my GF was made in Japan(printed next to the battery door)...Didn't know still made in Japan? Iphones all assembled in China.

Some still are,I believe the 1D and D3 are made in Japan,I could be wrong though, there is a difference, some are just assembled in China like my iTouch, don't know where its made in though,doesn't matter as long as it works properly :bsmilie: