Author Topic: E-P2 (Read 9956 times)

privatedoc · « **Reply #25 on:** November 04, 2009, 11:35:35 PM »

Glad I just sold my e-p1 on ebay, replaced it with a (now great value) used M8....I know, Iknow....old tech but an M9 is too dear and I would prob have gone for an e-p2 otherwise.

hope the e-p1 doesn't dump its value though.....the e-p2 doesn't mean the e-p1 is 'old' or 'bad'....just different.

JonInKrakow · « **Reply #26 on:** November 05, 2009, 01:07:25 AM »

My take:

Not really interested except for one feature--if there really is an audio-in port for external mics, that would be useful some day--get rid of the noises from the lens--but other than that, no real reason to upgrade. It is just as I expected, and confirms my choice to buy the first one, and start shooting! I've got a ton of pictures I would never have gotten with my huge Canon gear. I'm happy both with my E-P1 _and_ the E-P2. I'm sure the extras will be worth it for those who held off, or who were sitting on the fence. They've got their reward, and I'm happy for them--very happy, and make no bones about it. I think this guy will be successful as well. It now comes down to this. Do you want to pay a bit more money for an EVF? or not? If so, do you want the GF1 or the E-P2? Choice is good.

-Jon

edch · « **Reply #27 on:** November 05, 2009, 01:55:07 AM »

Looking forward for the two new zooms: 14-150 and 9-18.

cosinaphile · « **Reply #28 on:** November 05, 2009, 02:44:21 AM »

what you call negativity, ziggy stardust , i call reality , the people whose m4\3 hopes and dreams you read here almost all own e-p1 and or gf-1s , the sad reality is that the e-p1 for all its wonderful m4\3goodness was seriously lacking in things like acceptable autofocus performance [ which the panny gh-1 got right]and lack of evf and seriously underpixeled [230,000] lcd

friend, as i understand it olys solution to the aforementioned issues that concern 100 of thousands of e-p1 devotees is this :

1]no fixing of the s-af issue , instead another option called af tracking ................ fail

2]same 230,000 pixel lcd what year is this , yeah 2009 w 2010 around the corner.....fail

3]a ginormous evf, with great resolution, could they make it any bigger?sheesh.........maybe

why not join us in a discussion of the real issues , ziggy instead of lamenting that you didnt stumble upon a glassy eyed cult of smiling olympus m4\3 fans . we might just know , a little bit ,of what were griping about

cheers , hope you post frequently , the forum could use your participation

cosinaphile · « **Reply #29 on:** November 05, 2009, 03:31:25 AM »

on a positive side ive been wishing for a native m4\3 9-18 lens , and it looks like they will have one soon , i am most happy to read of this and hope they dont delay its introduction like the panny 7-14 here in america

sokar · « **Reply #30 on:** November 05, 2009, 06:44:14 AM »

My review:

"Not a compact. Not an SLR. Not a Pen. It's a painted black joke"

brachiopod · « **Reply #31 on:** November 05, 2009, 06:49:50 AM »

Quote from: privatedoc on November 04, 2009, 11:35:35 PM

Glad I just sold my e-p1 on ebay, replaced it with a (now great value) used M8....I know, Iknow....old tech but an M9 is too dear and I would prob have gone for an e-p2 otherwise.

hope the e-p1 doesn't dump its value though.....the e-p2 doesn't mean the e-p1 is 'old' or 'bad'....just different.

Yeah, because the focus speed on that manual M8 is so much faster than the E-P1 heh.

edch · « **Reply #32 on:** November 05, 2009, 07:50:43 AM »

E-P2 interview

http://www.omuser.com/viewthread.php?tid=103018&extra=page%3D1

E-P2 Preview

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10390147-1.html

cacau · « **Reply #33 on:** November 05, 2009, 08:21:01 AM »

O.k. apart the slot for evf,microphone etc. the rest seems to me like a firmware update... Shall we , early adopters of EP-1 , benefit sooner or later?

Streetshooter · « **Reply #34 on:** November 05, 2009, 08:32:19 AM »

You can't bring the M8 to this table....
I got 2 when they came out...
They crashed, after a spell got 2 more....
They crashed..... Then moved on...

The Pen is already a great camera that didn't crash.
There are things that could make it better.

Ideally, the Pen 2 would have incorporated those few things into it's design but apparently, didn't.

I'm real serious about my work.
When it's time to work, I grab the Pen and we go at it.
No issues, no problems.....just work.

So to upgrade a camera.... What I need to know is....
How does this work better than what I already have.

cosinaphile · « **Reply #35 on:** November 05, 2009, 08:57:15 AM »

edch thanks for ther links , i saw the cnet one the other day but ther one at om user was more informative and deep

initally i said that the black ep-2 photo above struck me as a fake, well it not is it . it s exactly the e-p2 which only difference lies in the hotshoe sitting above the camera like in the gf-1 does, instead of being embedded in the top plate sitting lower into the camera body itself as in the more elegant top profiled e-p1, this seem to be the only formal difference between the 2 machines from an external design p.o.v. the othert being the black body

after seeing the blonde lady singing the praises of the ep-2 im beginning top think that fiocus tracking might be olympuses solution to the hunt and full rack of the lens mechanism which was the ep-1s achilles heel

maybe the tracking mode emulates the ability to make tiny incremental corections to the af like the faster afing gf-1 does so well, perhaps it supplant the s-af racking thru the entire focus range that made it so much slower than the panny solution

ther evf now seems something special to me , its said to be 1.44 mpixels in res and the exit pupil[ interviewer mispoke?]

seem big like the old high eyepoint vf of nikon and others ,....it is said to be bright with excellent resolution and eye relief , for those benefiits i`d excuse it size ..............seems its big for a purpose

, my lament is that oly didnt ready a new fast prime for the launch like a 25 1.2 or 1.4 [ they are clueless]
if they had the foresight to do that they would wipe panny off the map and rule the m\43 market for the next year
[ not necessarily a good thing as i love my gf-1 and ep-1 equally]

Joe Jones · « **Reply #36 on:** November 05, 2009, 10:01:56 AM »

Quote from: cacau on November 05, 2009, 08:21:01 AM

O.k. apart the slot for evf,microphone etc. the rest seems to me like a firmware update... Shall we , early adopters of EP-1 , benefit sooner or later?

We should. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm pretty irate about all of this E-P2 nonsense. So the people who MADE the E-P1 the coolness that it is (despite its shortcomings) get nothing? The problem I see is the fact that Olympus didn't count on the E-P1 being as popular as it has been, so in their haste they put out a product they weren't done tweaking only to release the real deal a few months later for an extra $300. That leaves all of us at a disadvantage. Especially if this new PEN is a fraction of what they claim. Personally, I could care less about an electronic viewfinder. I've been using the E-P1 the way it is since I got it, a couple of weeks after it released, with no problem - and I rather like not having a viewfinder. But the improvements beyond the finder/mic input should come to us at no extra cost. I'd like the new art filters, and I'd like to have extended control in video mode not to mention all the other tweaks in that press release, without having to sell my E-P1 just to turn around and get the P2 at a higher cost (which makes no sense).

It's really hard to dislike my E-P1 over all of this, but I feel so dupped by Olympus that I'm put off by the whole thing.

Streetshooter · « **Reply #37 on:** November 05, 2009, 12:15:31 PM »

Joe,
Some of my sentiments too. I want at least a firmware upgrade.
I stated above that I feel like a beta tester.....I don't mind that in LR cause the end result is a culmination of all participating....
but with the Pen, I feel like I just got screwed....Luckily, I love the camera.....
Just give us all that can be done to improve it in a firmware.....then maybe, just maybe...the Pen 2 will not look soooooo different because it's really not....

I gotta cut this cause I'm getting to involved and that's a bad thing.....
out to shoot....later

dadofina · « **Reply #38 on:** November 05, 2009, 12:19:52 PM »

I thought the E-P2 would resolve my dilemma in deciding between a GF1 or a E-P1. But it doesn't!
I really expected Olympus to upgrade the antiquated 230K screen and further improve the autofocus.
The EVF is of no use to me since I can't get the camera in front of my eyes anyway because of my disability.
I might as well go for the cheaper E-P1 now unless Ricoh brings out something worth considering...

Art Vandelay II · « **Reply #39 on:** November 05, 2009, 12:28:23 PM »

Quote from: privatedoc on November 04, 2009, 11:35:35 PM

Yeah, because the focus speed on that manual M8 is so much faster than the E-P1 heh.

You'd be surprised what you can do with a bit of practice. I'm not going to say that I can focus my Bessa R3A quicker then the E-P1 can focus, but I'm not far off the speed either. I only bought a Bessa R3A because I had already bought some M-Mount glass for my E-P1. Now I've totally fallen in love with true rangefinders. So much so that my E-P1 is currently on eBay and I'm back to shooting film again.

It turns out it's just not the small rangefinder size that I loved (although I think my Bessa is the perfect size, large enough to not look stupid doing studio stuff with yet small enough to take hiking or on photowalks), it's the deliberate process a rangefinder forces you to do that I love. You really have to think about what you're doing and how you're framing up a shot. Then after that you're really forced to think about where you want to focus and depth of field. On top of that there are no buttons or dials; you have to turn the aperture ring or a silky smooth focus ring to do what you want. It's a visceral experience that makes photography more enjoyable...at least to me.

I wish Olympus would consider making a rangefinder m/43 hybrid camera. One could use the OVF when shooting manually and under 90mm eqv focal lengths, then if you feel lazy or need autofocus you could then switch to live view mode. That would also solve a glaring rangefinder weakness...the inability to use telephoto lenses.

joebee · « **Reply #40 on:** November 05, 2009, 12:45:50 PM »

Quote from: ziggy2000 on November 04, 2009, 09:21:12 PM

God, what a bunch of whiners. I was seriously hoping this to be a site of informed discussion about a new and exciting digital camera format, but the negativity is overwhelming. If it's so damn bad then go buy a D700. Sheesh.

Check the http://e-p1.net/index.php?topic=894 topic. That shows the reason why we love the E-Px.

joebee · « **Reply #41 on:** November 05, 2009, 12:50:56 PM »

I'm really not interested to see another E-Px until Olympus is capable to deliver us a camera with better ergonomics and faster operation (especially the AF) than the E-P1. Less would be more - but do it better.

Federico Alberto · « **Reply #42 on:** November 05, 2009, 04:41:54 PM »

Quote from: brachiopod on November 05, 2009, 06:49:50 AM

Yeah, because the focus speed on that manual M8 is so much faster than the E-P1 heh.

TouchÃ©...!!!

Jman · « **Reply #43 on:** November 05, 2009, 06:21:59 PM »

I find it interesting that any E-P1 owner is upset...the E-P2 is an E-P1 with an EVF. That's it. Seriously, the art filters? Make a lightroom preset if you want.

ziggy2000 · « **Reply #44 on:** November 05, 2009, 07:21:56 PM »

Quote from: cosinaphile on November 05, 2009, 02:44:21 AM

what you call negativity, ziggy stardust , i call reality , the people whose m4\3 hopes and dreams you read here almost all own e-p1 and or gf-1s , the sad reality is that the e-p1 for all its wonderful m4\3goodness was seriously lacking in things like acceptable autofocus performance [ which the panny gh-1 got right]and lack of evf and seriously underpixeled [230,000] lcd

friend, as i understand it olys solution to the aforementioned issues that concern 100 of thousands of e-p1 devotees is this :

1]no fixing of the s-af issue , instead another option called af tracking ................ fail

2]same 230,000 pixel lcd what year is this , yeah 2009 w 2010 around the corner.....fail

3]a ginormous evf, with great resolution, could they make it any bigger?sheesh.........maybe

why not join us in a discussion of the real issues , ziggy instead of lamenting that you didnt stumble upon a glassy eyed cult of smiling olympus m4\3 fans . we might just know , a little bit ,of what were griping about

cheers , hope you post frequently , the forum could use your participation

Discussion hereby joined.

Your reality is different than mine. I do not find the AF speed "unacceptable". I have learned to incorporate that adjustment into my shooting. Granted that the Panny speed is better (not from personal experience because I haven't used one) I can only hope that it will improve with time. And frankly I'd never even consider this camera if I was shooting any high-speed events. If you want a real eye-opener, check out the CDAF speed of the Oly DSLR bodies in Live View "Imager AF" mode - it is ABYSMAL even in comparison to the E-P1! This is one area where Olympus needs massive improvement, I'll agree. I'll take issue with your statement that the AF speed has not improved for the E-P2, though - NONE of the "hands on" previews have addressed this directly, and I have some faith that the "AF Tracking" function (as shown in several videos) may indicate an improvement in this area. If not then I'll agree with your assessment - fail.

LCD "seriously underpixelled" - I can't see what the argument is here. Why is more resolution needed? I have not run into a situation where I wished there was more resolution on the screen - indeed I've found it to be more than adequate especially in bright sunlight - even when using manual focus and focus assist. This is a total non-issue in my book.

EVF - Frankly I could care less. Maybe that comes from my years of shooting video from flip-out screens and tiny electronic VFs. I don't have to hold the camera at "arms length" to frame a shot, and unless this EVF is just a complete knockout in resolution I could take it or leave it. And as to being "too big" well there are some reports that it's not as cumbersome as the pictures make it look. Ugly? Well I've always been a fan of function over form, so who really cares what it looks like, unless you're a complete poser trying to look cool with your new camera...

So let's not talk about how this new iteration totally fails, let's talk about the real strengths of this wonderful jewel of a camera. I just spent 4 days shooting exclusively with the E-P1 on my Disneyland vacation. I'll give kudos to Panasonic for an amazing lens, the 20mm/f1.7 which I never took off my E-P1 for the duration of my trip. This combination is stellar, and the Panny lens is so far beyond the Oly 17mm as to be embarrassing. The fast lens coupled with the excellent high ISO performance of the E-P1 made for some brilliant captures, especially in the dark rides like Pirates of the Caribbean. Within a few days I'll have a gallery on smugmug to support this claim, but trust me, I am very pleased with the results. I cannot agree with those who say that high ISO is unusable with this camera - I have found it to be acceptable right out of the camera and with a little tweaking it can be excellent - and I'm talking all the way up to 6400.

Which brings us to another frequent complaint - the lack of a built-in flash. The wonderful high ISO performance of the E-P1 in my mind renders a flash unnecessary most of the time - in over 1300 shots during my vacation there was only ONE time I wished I had a fill flash, which I'd left at the hotel. The dark rides at Disney do not allow the use of flash photography anyway, so learning how to push the limits of high ISO shooting was a priority for me. The E-P1 delivered in spades once I figured out how to use it to its best advantage.

And there's another plus. It's not just a camera that you flip to auto and let make all the decisions (well it can be but that is not very satisfying). But it is a camera that if you think about it and make it shoot the way you want it to, can produce some absolutely brilliant photos. It's a camera that gives you the latitude, if you discover it's strengths and learn how to use them, to surpass most of the current cameras on the market and give you some truly unique results.

I'd welcome the chance to try out a GF1 and see how it stacks up, but frankly I'm very happy with the E-P1. The next generation really doesn't offer a compelling upgrade for me, but I'm not going to whine and deprecate Olympus because they didn't completely blow everyone away with a ducks-nuts new model. I think that was the attitude I was bemoaning in my original post. Now, let's all go out and shoot some amazing images with the wonderful cameras we already have!

Federico Alberto · « **Reply #45 on:** November 05, 2009, 09:14:00 PM »

Case closed!!!

sokar · « **Reply #46 on:** November 06, 2009, 02:59:15 AM »

Case closed? AF is not unacceptable?. Olympus finish correcting the failure, because failure is unacceptable. I remember that the price of the E-P1 / E-P2 is not $ 200. Be realistic, please.

Art Vandelay II · « **Reply #47 on:** November 06, 2009, 07:48:13 AM »

What exactly is so unacceptable about the E-P1's AF? Are you a sports shooter? If so, why on earth would you buy an E-P1 in the first place? This is not a high performance camera. The E-P1 is indeed an $800 camera, but there are $20,000 cameras with AF just as slow as the E-P1. Ever heard of medium format? There are different tools for different jobs and they come in all shapes, sizes and prices. If you want blistering fast AF then buy a Nikon D300 and be done with it....that is what it's designed for. The E-P1/2 on the other hand is designed as street shooter, travel camera, and high end snap shot camera...and it excels in that role. The AF is not an issue at all when used for what it is intended for. Every camera has strengths and weaknesses and it's just a matter of learning how to work around them. I for example never use the E-P1 in continuous AF mode and I only use the center point; then recompose after it locks on. The camera works fine like that. Here's a perfect example:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eparks/3809776496/

I was walking down the other side of the street and spotted that guy walking towards that painted wall. I had to run back lock on him, then compose all in a matter of seconds. If you're missing basic movement shots such as people walking down the street or even a shot of a bus streaking by at 55mph then it's time to practice and learn what you're doing instead of complaining to Olympus about you're photos not being up to par. Of course that's assuming you take photos, I find most people that gripe about these things usually just like to read specs then tell everyone why the a camera can't do certain things all while people are out doing those things with it.

Yes, faster AF is always welcomed, but they have bigger issues right now such as lack of fast glass and IMHO they still need a PEN with a built-in EVF, not just a clip-on.

ziggy2000 · « **Reply #48 on:** November 06, 2009, 09:00:47 AM »

Well spoken, Art!

What I said was the AF was not unacceptable TO ME - YMMV. No, it's not blazing fast, but it's not a "failure" either. And there are so many other strong points to this camera that I am willing to overlook/adapt to the AF quirks. BTW, the 1.1 firmware updates for the body & lenses did improve the focusing speed, though not dramatically. Some say the improvement was negligible, but I found it noticeable, especially in good lighting conditions. So I have to wonder if some of the detractors have not performed the update. That is, those who actually own & use the camera...

cosinaphile · « **Reply #49 on:** November 06, 2009, 09:02:51 AM »

well i own an e-p1 and a gf -1 and i do love both cameras even if its a tough love

the af ability of the ep-1 , perhaps the favorite camera ive owned, is in my humble opinion , sub par . for a camera that broke a design wall for the entire industry [wait a year to 18 months] a camera whose metallic heft, its fit and finish, its mf lens compability, its design aesthetic, its industry leading jpegs,its keen image quality, its manual handling, its .... pure allure ,that almost brings tears to my eyes does not alter the reality of its af performance . its poor ,and It needs work ,

it`s slow and fustrating in low light , it cannnot lock in many more situiations than I would like, more so for the lack of an af assist lamp, a glaring mistake imho.[...or non glaring... ] It must rack thru its entire focus range like a circa 1990 minolta maxxum ,while the gf-1, a very similar machine offers a better, more compitant solution with acceptable accuracy and speed, and a light ! proving that a better working af system [and a light!] was possible ,... but oly failed to deliver it for this camera.

The opportunity to fix this problem , yes i called it a problem and i love the ep-1 , imagine! , in the e-p2 seems not to have happened, they know the problem,yet they ignored the problem, thats what seems to have happened ,i hope im wrong . This was mentioned in almost every review, as was the low res lcd, as weaknessess in an otherwise fine camera. Thousand of user have expresses their unhappiness with this issue, for olympus not to address those issues in the ep-1s sucessor, the e-p2 strikes me as foolish and indicitive of a company that does not have its pulse in the right place.its lack of a single fast prime for the m4\3, for a system touted as available light , also indicates it has a corporate screw or 2 loose as well. imho

for those of you who could care less for for an evf with resolution comprable to th g-1 gh-1, well more power to ya , for my needs ,which differ from your needs, a good evf , a manual focus capable evf , i something i would love to have and would put to good use even as i often focus manually and af with the lcd , something i also enjoy

ziggy i never mentioned the lack of internal flash as a defect , im happy with the oly as it is in this regard, i almost never use the fl-14 except for indoor social events , and sometime not even then , for me the e-p1 is an available light camera , i shoot voigtlander 28,1.9 and 50 1.5 most of the time and im very happy with the ep-1 with these fast lenses .

afa the firmware 1.1.......... i found the improvement noticable as well , the ep-1 af in good light is fine , save for the back and forth rack everytime it focuses even on the same subject 1 second apart.
its performance in low light and no lamp , that an entry level slr would handle and have af assist lamp ,those things id like rectified

heres some of my shots with the e-p1 , the gallery will allow posting of high res images , which is where it put pic on this forum , cheers

http://e-p1.net/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=item;id=255

http://e-p1.net/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=item;id=253

http://e-p1.net/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=item;id=232

http://e-p1.net/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=item;id=181

http://e-p1.net/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=item;id=184

http://e-p1.net/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=item;id=324

http://e-p1.net/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=item;id=325

http://e-p1.net/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=item;id=288

http://e-p1.net/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=item;id=274

http://e-p1.net/index.php?action=mgallery;sa=item;id=273

Author Topic: E-P2 (Read 9956 times)

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