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Olympus E-1

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0	315	Sat 23 August, 2008

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Description:

This review is more about what type of camera the E-1 is in terms of a photographic tool as opposed to technical specs which can easily be found elsewhere.

The Olympus E-1 first became available in 2003 and was heralded as the first truly digital SLR. The first camera in the new Four Thirds system designed for digital photography from scratch.
Why review a camera this old then and with "only" 5 megapixels? I hear you ask. Well the reason being is that this camera has now become something of a cult classic amongst Olympus users.
The reason for this status is down to several reasons. Firstly it is a camera built to professional specification with the build quality to match. The quality and feel of this camera is second to none. It has weatherproof seals and is designed to be used in the most testing environments.

Secondly, the ergonomics are superb. All the most useful controls are served by buttons and dials on the body of the camera making it possible to adjust the settings without taking the camera from your eye. The optical viewfinder is also nice and bright and gives 100% coverage, what you see is what you get. Most lower to mid range DSLR's have viewfinders which are smaller and have approx 95% coverage.

Thirdly, and most importantly of all, is the image quality. because the pixel count is relatively low to the size of the sensor, the image quality is superb. The kodak built sensor delivers excellent dynamic range and records images with a very "film" like quality. The tonal range graduates more gently than many DSLR's and gives the images a very distinctive smooth look. Even noise at higher ISO's looks much more akin to film grain. The colour reproduction is also superb and its rendition of natural skin tones is legendary amongst Olympus users.

The E-1 is served by the growing list of four thirds Olympus lenses which are smaller and lighter than their competitors and have a well deserved reputation for high quality and sharpness from centre to edge. Whilst the lenses aren't the cheapest they compensate by have a x2 crop factor compared to 35mm lens. That is to say that a Zuiko 70-300mm gives you the equivalent of 140-600mm in 35mm terms. This lens retails at around £300. Thats a lot of performance for the money and this is one of the advantages of having the E-1.

So what about the downsides of the E-1? Well its "only" got 5 megapixels. Not a problem unless you want to produce prints bigger than A3.
The E-1 is 5 years old so its not going to compete in terms of speed of autofocus with todays models although its no slouch. It only has 3 autofocus points, thats never been a problem to me as I tend to use the centre point most of the time anyway. If you're a sports shooter it might be a problem and require more skill than other models. It also shoots at 3fps, again not an issue to me but may be to some. It has a small 1.8" LCD panel. This is fine for checking exposure but if you want to pixel peep forget it. It also does not have a built in flash, this is due to the weather sealing but you can fit an olympus flash (FL-36 or FL-50 are the best options)
Other than that I dont see any real disadvantages and none of the above make it unusable to me.

So who would it be best fit for? If you are into portraiture, travel, landscape, street, still life and nature photography then this camera is excellent. If you are a high speed sports shooter then there are better options.
The E-1 takes images acceptable up to ISO 800 and higher ISO's can be cleaned up to be usable, depending on your preferences as this is a very subjective thing.

I have deliberately left the best until last about the E-1. The price. When the camera was first released in the UK it retailed at £1400. This is a pro-spec camera and does not have any auto modes, just the usual A,S,P and M modes.
You can now get this camera for around £200 on ebay!
This is almost giving away a camera of this quality.
"Ah" I hear you say "if its so good why is it so cheap?".
Many people are selling off backup bodies or buying into the "more megapixels is better" myth. I believe the prices have bottomed out now and when they become scarce the value will go up again. You can also sometimes pick up the E-1 body with the superb Olympus 14-54mm lens for approximately £350 or thereabouts. This lens is better than many competitors lenses at more than twice the price.
Also don't forget that with a cheap mount adaptor you can fit almost any manufacturers legacy lenses with the exception of Canon. This gives you the opportunity to use some superb glass which sells very cheaply these days.

In a nutshell, if image quality is whats most important to you and you want a camera that is built to last and cheap to boot then grab one of these while you can, they will not be about forever and the E-1 is truly a classic. But don't take my word for it, read the users reviews DPReview.com and see how other people rate this camera

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