getting the an olympus pen

[kl34quest]

No fighting on my thread plzz..

Can anyone lead me to a link where i can compare the art filters of Mirrorless cameras of samsung and panasonic along side the olympus . dpreview doesnt seem to have it ..
art filters dont work to great in movie mode on the olympus .
I have had too many issues with sony im NOT going down that road again.

[Inkanyezi]

I don't know of any such comparison. "Filters" are not actually filters per se, but just post processing of the images. I guess there are programs that may do the same job, but less destructive, as a "filter" introduced at the moment of capture may alter the image without the chance to recover or use another - although it might record the unaltered image as well, so that an unfiltered image might be available.

I think that maybe shopping among the panoply of programs might be more fruitful, and leave more freedom to choice of a photographic instrument that maybe does the principal job of capturing the images better. After all, pp "filters" can always be applied at a later stage, and some of those effects in programs are really easy to achieve. I also assume that it leaves more to creativity if "filters" can be applied selectively, that in a scene, the filter could be faded in or out.

[alfredotomato]

I am an Olympus user, I'd say the EPL-3 is perfectly fine. You will like the colors.

If you are looking for a zoom the Oly 40~150mm gets good reviews. There are others available from Panasonic. It's good and inexpensive. Get the VF-2 or VF-3 if you need a VF The VF-2 is very bright, but the VF-3 clips in more securely. You will also have access to some good prime lenses.

My go to lens is the Sigma 19mm.

[alfredotomato]

One thing I like about the Olympus is the IBIS. If you want image stabilization with Panasonic, you have to use Panasonic lenses. That isn't a big problem because Panasonic makes some fine lenses covering just about every FL you may need.

I'm still using the Olympus EPL-1 and I haven't found much reason (based on image quality) for upgrading.

really? I'd suggest not with the exception of the E-M5.....

The Panasonic G3 is excellent value for money and the 16mp in the G3/GX1 is a step up from the one used in the pens and the Pan GF series.

The Sony's have better sensors than the Oly's/Panny's but there isn't the range of lenses.

And the Nikon's will toast any other mirrorless camera if you want to track moving subjects. Image Quality is comparable with the 12mp m4/3 cameras from Olympus and Panny.

The Olympus cameras are very good but look at the alternatives.

http://tysonrobichaudphotography.wor...-a-new-sensor/
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2011/1...ected-to-hate/

[ajohnw]

I have been getting to grips with an e-pl1 for a couple of months. There are so so many settings. In fact I have set a couple of things that I can't find any more! I've had 2 shooting days left in P mode and also explored using it manually. Hope to have an iAuto day soon. I find it's best to use a camera this way because there is a need to find out what it will do under given circumstances. In many ways they are very neat cameras but do have their draw backs that come mostly from the mirror less aspect.. The standard 2 zooms are excellent. It's interesting to note the 3 to 1 range which probably explains that. Panasonic are different in that respect. Pass on Nikon because it didn't interest me. I wanted a camera with a fairly sensible pixel and sensor size with the aim of often using it instead of a dslr. The olympus kit is the most compact that falls into that category. It's a long long way from a compact with interchangeable lenses. Same with the Panasonic but reviews suggest that Olympus's jpg engine is probably the best on the market especially at high iso. The reviews showed that too. So I bought a Pen.

The image stability is it's plus and it's downfall. It works rather well when the actual shot is taken but that's the only time it does work apart from a fraction of a second when the shutter button is half pressed. This may not seem to matter but along comes the mirrorless electronic view finder problems and manual focusing. It's easier to talk in 35mm focal length equivalents. 4/3 multiplies by a factor of 2. I use the 1.4mp clip on view finder. There are 12mp on the sensor. This is why the view can be magnified by 7 to give precise pixel level focusing, The new OM goes up to 10x and has several lower values. With the 14-42 zoom on 42mm the 7x view comes out as being the same as 588mm in 35mm terms, Hand holding that without image stability for focusing is no joke. The longer zoom is nigh on impossible. Only a tiny fraction of the view can be seen as well. The AF is a mixed blessing as it does need contrast and decent light levels and may well adopt setting that don't cover the whole object being photographed. If it's too dim to prevent noise from appearing in the viewfinder one option is to select multi point AF in the hope that it finds something to lock onto. Often it wont be the bit you want to shoot. It loves to lock onto back grounds anyway and ignore small items in front of them. Set single square AF and there must be a moderately contrasty boundary within it. Where I did have something in the central view a bee on a blue flower it slightly missfocused on both. Pass as to why. Maybe multi point af would do better but I have my doubts. I switched it off quickly. It loves contrast and will lock onto that. Face detection - not my usual form of photography. Seems to work.

IS again. There are myriad of manual lens adapters available for m4/3. Focusing them is a challenge. The IS can cope with fairly long lenses but that's not much use if they can't be focused accurately. eg at the pixel level a 500mm F5.6 lens at a distance of 25m seems to have a critical depth of field of 100mm or so. Only achievable on a tripod with the 7x mag view. Hit rate hand held as far as the IS goes might be reasonable. As the shot will generally be out of focus it's hard to tell.

The flash is a little bizarre. Pop it up and iso will generally drop to 200 and stay there what ever you do. I did find a way round that but having set F5.6 /160 sec and focused at a distance of about 180mm would you believe it showed 3 stops under exposure at 800 iso. I suspect many cameras might be like that these days.

I like the camera as strange as this may seem but it isn't a dlsr replacement. The main problem is the lack of IS when needed. Our eyes can see lots of detail though a pentaprism and focus just about anything within reason. It's hard for electronics to match that. Olympus are a bit silly because most people who experience the long lens problem buy a Panasonic 45-200mm lens even though the optics are inferior. Panasonic remove a lot of the chromatic distortion in the camera on jpg's. It's a diy or specific filter problem from raw.

Given the choice for serious use especially with the viewfinder the e-p3 is the best choice because of it's controls. The e-pl1 can do more or less the same things and has the flash but controls are compact like. On that one I program the video button for focus lock (select manual focus) and the other programmable button for exposure lock. Many people who use the camera seriously set manual iso and shutter or aperture priority to go with it according to need. Makes a lot of sense and is probably a lot easier to do on a e-p3 when the view finder is fitted. I often use reading glasses so find the view finder essential. Not too keen on touch screens for the same reason. On pens the screen view is passed directly to the plug in viewfinder. Excellent idea for many people. It also shows over and under exposure in last shot recall. Also in the viewfinder but I need to remember how to get that back! Expect many visits to the manual - or use it in simple form where most menu items are hidden,

Pass on the new OM. Needs checking but I have heard - IS works when focusing but maybe only on Olympus lenses and not manual ones. Hangs up if panasonic lenses are fitted. It does still have the same electronic view features though and I can't help feeling that money might better be spent on a mid range canon.. Pass really. Depends on needs. I am inclined to feel as far as the pen's go Olympus have missed the opportunity to gain a huge portion of the market for mid to low priced capable cameras in general. In some ways I feel it falls short of it;s aim - a step up for people who use compacts.

John

[jcuknz]

After using the Pany G3 for awhile I thought I would get an Olympus p for IBIS and my legacy lenses. I thought that I would also get the VF-3 for it.... this works off the sensor so shows you what you get with any lens ... GREAT! but when it arrived I understood what people meant when they describe looking through EVFs as looking through tunnels ... definitely not a patch on the G3 or GH2. I also find the menus rather hard to comprehend after Panasonic's for years ... but if starting with no Pany experience I guess they are AOK
Pany EVF are not 'tunnels' and I have had several models.

EDIT ..just read John's and I suspect he doesn't appreciate that these M4/3 cameras have focal plane shutters with a maximum sync speed of 1/200, I forget what the G3 uses.

The G3 also has and the GH2 sadly doesn't or I have not found it yet, the very small target area for AF which makes AF a dream to use unlike the fairly large target areas of every other camera I have used. This small area means one doesn't need to manual focus or have magnifying gimmics to waste time with. OK I'm biased towards Pany And the EPL1 did nothing to change that.

[ajohnw]

I tend to get a bit wrapped up in the difficulty of using the magnified view on a Pen and also distinct signs of camera manufacturer greed in places. What I should do really is explain what the problem is in a more direct way.

On the shutter I'm well aware of that and am also sure that they could do better with flash control. The actual flash control is very wide ranging in some modes. 1/64 up from memory.

I have found a way of retaining what ever iso setting I want when the flash is used. The situation I described above can result in the camera using a slower shutter speed flash active than with it inactive at the same aperture even when it needn't on auto. I wouldn't expect flash to help if the camera over exposed or hit the correct exposure at a given speed and aperture. I've used dslr's for a long time. Film too.

I find the Pen clip on viewfinder fine. The higher resolution version is a good idea for several reasons. As to noise in it in low light and accurate focusing I've owned a dimage for a long time so knew what to expect. The dimage is more thoroughly sorted out though.

I went for the Pen because of a comment about it's jpg's engine being the best dpreviw had ever seen especially at high iso. They had sample pictures to prove it too. I also like the comment about the menu system "photographer's haven't been forgotten" what ever that means. I've set the camera up so that iAuto can go to 1600 and others to 800 at the moment as I'm likely to use the jpg's if 1600 is needed. The results aren't too bad if the scene is suitable. This is a jpg, 1600 and from memory I haven't done anything to it. It's even semi ok at full frame like this. It took it at my sons recent graduation.

http://backup.cambridgeincolour.com/...04507/original

I prefer the menu's. Messy true but there is lots of flexibility there if wanted. Most of the options can be hidden if needed. They need many trips to the manual if enabled. I can usually use a camera after only a quick read but the Pen needed a bit more. I must have been in it half a dozen times at least. I also think it takes some time to get used to many cameras. I have had 2 P mode days so far. Hope to have a scene mode day shortly and in the mean time looking at using it completely manually plus my brain. Most people seem to use manual ISO and either shutter or aperture control for that.

The camera has some nice points. It shows under and over exposure in the last shot recall for instance. I'm sure I have had it up in the viewfinder as a shot is taken too. I suspect some things come and go as modes are changed - in the menu's as well. Not sure more investigation needed. I can't find where I set 800 iso out of iAuto mode again either.

Metering is a bit iffy but many can be. With the over and under exposure indicator it's possible to point camera to correct that lock exposure and reframe the shot or leave it as it is or even pop the flash up to help.

AF like all such systems is also iffy and in my experience worse than canon or some compacts that use the same system. In my case as I like to make use of circles of confusion ( without a tape measure and calculator ) I suspect no mirrorless af system will measure up but basically it can get things wrong even when it shouldn't. It needs contrast and loves to lock onto that part of the shot. The single square helps but there may be insufficient contrast available in what needs to be in focus. It can also get things wrong if there is. Same with dslr's really but it can clearly be seen in the viewfinder. It can't be in the electronic version Multi point evaluation - not even sure the pen has that. I went of multi point rapidly so it can't be much good if it has. Whoops - here I go again. The problem is I am a design engineer and feel some of the problems with these cameras are down to a mix of stupidity and even greed at the design stage.

One thing I should add is that the e-pl1 is the only pen that wont work with a plug in remote control. Watch though in case there are others. I know of a number of people including me that have been severely disappointed by that. As I worked on firmware and electronics I also strongly suspect that this could be fixed with an upgrade. Some one did contact Oly on this and were told to buy an e-p2 - not long after they had bought the e-pl1.

John

[kl34quest]

So what i was hoping for finally happned .... sort of
new releases for the PENs ... i was hoping for a EP5 release tho

Im really happy about the OMD sensor in these new models ...
can anyone help me what other positives does the new model EPL5 have when compared with the EP3 .... im guessing the EPL5 is a better bet now , with the flip touch screen etc .... now its like all the good stuff is rolled into one .... am i not right . and not as expensive as the OMD

I cant get a comparison chart , i guess the details are just trickling in .

comments and thoughts anyone ?

[Barb Loades]

My class teacher at TAFE purchased (on my behalf) an Olympus EPL2 for me, after I asked for his suggestions to move up from a Coolpix 'point and shoot', prior to going on a British and European tour Holiday. The TAFE class folded before my (now), ex-teacher, was able to go through the basics with me.
Eighteen months later,with my teacher no longer available, and hours of trying to jump from page to page following the instructions in the manual, (IMPOSSIBLE!!) I have scoured the Internet for help, but have not found the basic help I need.
I knew a bit (and still don't know much!!) about f/stops and shutter speeds. Have picked up a little about White balance and ISO, but focal length is still a mystery.
Quite by accident I have discovered this camera has so many features and extras that some of the other big and well known brands lack. I found and joined a seniors photography group, hoping to gain the info I need to take better photos. But other members/teachers, who have big Canons etc, get a bit carried away playing with my camera. Several have commented that they would like to borrow it overnight (complete with the manual)!

I have had some good shots, and lots of bad shots, and heaps of SURPRISE! SURPRISE! shots.
maybe that is what Photography is all about??

[Barb Loades]

David Busch's Book 'OLYMPUS PEN E-P2, Guide to DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY' while not about the same model, is very helpful. I have the E-PL2, and although some things are different between cameras, the basic info (with pictures) is very easy to adapt to different models.

[jcuknz]

I happened to use my E-PL1 night before last and thought I would repeat something I read about the clip-on viewfinder. The comment said that trying to focus with manual lens was much easier with the VF than on the LCD and after fumbling around with the LCD I tried the VF and it immediately became ever so much easier on me.

[Shadowman]

I happened to use my E-PL1 night before last and thought I would repeat something I read about the clip-on viewfinder. The comment said that trying to focus with manual lens was much easier with the VF than on the LCD and after fumbling around with the LCD I tried the VF and it immediately became ever so much easier on me.

Were you shooting tripod mounted? One thing I noticed about the pen is that you have to treat it as if it were a DSLR and hold very steady, unlike the ease of minimizing hand shake with a point and shoot.

[jcuknz]

Were you shooting tripod mounted? One thing I noticed about the pen is that you have to treat it as if it were a DSLR and hold very steady, unlike the ease of minimizing hand shake with a point and shoot.

Yes I was hand holding at first and then put it on a tripod ... I put it down to having to close the aperture down with the A-M switch which let me move after focusing when I didn't have much DoF working with a 100mm AoV lens* ... it was altogether very awkward, I wasn't concerned with camera shake as I was using flash. I also am not convinced that holding cameras at bent arm length is worse than up to the eye, though prefer that from habit. *My fingers have forgotten what the lens feels and works like, some ten years since it was regularly in use on my SLR
The lens being an f/1.4 does make it fairly easy to focus once I got over the handling problems .