Originally submitted at Adorama
Olympus E-P1 Pen, Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14mm-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ED Black Lens, 12.3 Megapixel, 3" Live View LCD, Silver Body
The Pen (E-P1) is Mighty!
Pros: Large Clear LCD, Fast Shutter Speed, Good Image Stabilization, Good Image Quality, LIghtweight
Cons: Lens Noise, Uncomfortable grip, Short Battery Life
Best Uses: Landscape/Scenery, Indoors/Low Light, Travel, Video, Macro Photography
Describe Yourself: Semi-pro Photographer
I mainly got this camera/lens combo for a lightweight, casual camera to use while out and about, and for video. It has not disappointed! I even found the video quality to be more than acceptable. I need to use it further to give it a better, full-use review, but I’m very impressed thus far.
Also, this little baby shrinks back inside itself when not in use for even more compact storage. It packs in a lot of functionality for such a little thing. There’s power in the petite!
My only moderate complaint is the lens noise on video. I should mention that the 14-42 lens in this package is much quieter than using the macro lens with an adapter. When using a four-thirds adapter (the MMF-2) and macro lens, the noise was much, much worse. But for still shots, the 50mm 1:2 macro was outstanding in quality.
Usually, I edit the audio out of most close-up shots, scenery shots anyway, but for a casual shoot (i.e. with family/friends) it may interfere with dialogue. It was tricky to get used to, and the grip isn’t all that comfortable at first (after using nothing but Nikon for years and years!), and I’d say there is definitely a learning curve with this camera. I like that you can switch modes easily in most functions (i.e. using manual focus in the Portrait mode and so on), but you do have to use manual focus for video. Some people may not like that, especially if they’re not used to manual cameras.
The battery life was fair. I used it solid for two days, and took quite a bit of video as well. It does take up to three hours for a full charge of the battery, so it’s not the most efficient for constant use.
Overall, I’m very thrilled with it thus far. If you are looking for something more automated for video, I’d definitely go another route. But, if you like the challenge of a manual-based operation (as I do), you’ll love this camera! Once you get the hang of the menu functionality and the sheer pleasure of the lightweight feel, you’ll grow to love it as much as I have. For the price, you just can’t beat this little gem!
(legalese)