Microcosm + E-PL1
Non Technical Review
You guys know this is coming...
After having the E-PL1 for weeks, and finding time to shoot in between boarding gates and jet lag, I made it back to my new home and being spring, found some time to drive out to the rural areas and shot some nature (sort of) with this new toy from the Olympus camp.
First Impressions and handling.
This camera does not feel like a Pen at all. Might have some similarities when you go into the menu and look at the pictures, but unlike P1/P2, the PL1 is a product from the many complaints and feedback to Olympus (yes, they actually read the forums and hear you!) So now you get a more "brick-like design", flash (more powerful than the GF1), a choice of colors (I remember saying cellphones these days comes in different flavours, and so did the GF1, so they took it kind of seriously) and threw in a couple of sweet stuff that was not released with the earlier brothers. (Most important being the MMF2, now it is made cheap and sold in Singapore ONLY as a bundle product, not to be sold separately, unless, of course, you have good friends in the camera retail business). In the US, there is a promotion to buy the MMF2 and the 40-150 as a standalone bundle sale for the Pen, so it might be a while before that promotion hits town, so keep your fingers crossed.
The camera feels good in your hands, but not as great as how P1/P2 feels though... but still, the lightweight makes it is a camera that is easy to handle until you slap on some serious Zuiko Digital (regular sized) lenses, the weight makes the entire set up quite weird to hold. Some might argue its ok, but this is just me. I still think the P1/P2 has better ergonomics and worked well with the MMF1/14-54mm MkII slapped on for some CDAF fun.
Picture Quality - Not fair
Olympus obviously did some serious tweaking with this camera... and if this is the sign for things to come, the new flagship camera is going to seriously blow the competition out of the water.
Kits lens has never been so sharp on a camera, and the colors out of camera are simply stunning! This is echoed by those earlier reviewers of the camera and it is true... if you are hardcore on pixel peeping, then this is the camera to get. Forget E3, forget P2, forget everything else... the PL1 yields the sharpest images and colors (ok, this is subjective) out of camera. You won't want to shoot RAW for a while because the jpegs are simply stunning straight out of camera. This is not fair... (since I own the E3 and well, some other cameras)... but then again, this is the newest development of Olympus technology and they are always evolving, so this does not come as a surprise.
The PL1 simply yields the best pictures yet! (Nightpiper must be pleased).
So the cheapest camera in the Olympus camp shoots the best images straight out... what can they think of next? Well, new lenses should be the next important thing that Olympus should look at... I have been nagging them about new m4/3 lenses, or more precisely, MZ lenses. They really should release more focal lengths to the m4/3 community. So we can only wait.
I never really had fun with kit lenses until the PL1, and yes, the images from the standard kit lenses (mine was the 14-42mm kit zoom on the PL1) are really stunning... I almost cannot make myself tell someone to buy MMF1 and 14-54MkII other than for the larger aperture because the images taken with the kit lens under suitable lighting is simply awesome. Hats off to the engineers in Olympus, they did it again. This is a consumer product, and they pulled off a design and engineering that is simply awesome. The consumers should be happy, and in the m4/3 playing field, PL1 simply ups the bar. But I suspect the new Panasonic cameras should soon take back the crown.. but until then, the PL1 is simply the best consumer product out there... it is even easier to use than before, 8 year olds to 80 years olds can operate the camera via iAUTO mode and shoot some nice images, that is, if they are able to compose a good shot. The camera does the rest, and does it well.
Focusing on the PL1 feels snappier too, for some reasons. Maybe it is just engineering improvements, and I really hope they have not minimised the sampling rate of the AF, I still prefer more precise and accurate AF on my camera.
Art Filters... oh glorious Art Filters!
One of the most important reasons to buy a PEN... is for the Art Filters... it simply adds a new dimension of fun to shooting jpegs (and you can shoot jpeg + RAW if you want to keep a copy of the untreated image). Gentle Sepia is the new Art Filter introduced in the PL1, and it adds a lot of fun shooting your grandparents and old buildings and objects. Kudos, once again, to the engineers at Olympus. Thank you for the new Art Filter.
Video, still good but...
Audio SUCKS! The mono mic really suck on the PL1. The sound quality is flat, and being mono, everything sounds wrong to picture. If you are a PL1 user and really wants to shoot decent videos with sound, I strongly suggest you buy the external microphone. Makes a world of difference. If you need a boom mic, then the Rode Video Mic would be a good option, though a little DIY mod would be needed to fit everything together. (I shall leave you video folks to figure this one out, it is really a no brainer).
My verdict
The PL1 defies logic, and pisses old Olympians off (like me).
How can you build a camera that takes such great pictures selling at such a low price? I feel like a sucker for buying an E3. And I cannot slap on a Super High Grade lens on the PL1 with MMF2 without fearing the mount will crack... argghh! When is the flagship camera coming?
But if you are someone who is looking for a under $1000 camera system that can be expanded, and an upgrade from your point and shoot... look no further... to choose the PL1 is no brainer... the great company that makes cameras that produces the best jpegs straight out camera just got BETTER! And they have gone bananas and selling them under $1000! This is passion. Otherwise, the old folks in the management have simply gone senile. No one builds a killer product and not raise the price.
But Olympus did.
So, go get it.
5/5 product.
(Anyone complaining about the RED button, please go read the bloody manual. You can turn that bloody thing OFF~! I set mine to AFL/AEL)
