Reader's Comments

some more comments to add:

- as a student you get the E-1 + 14-54/2,8-3,5 for roughly 1000 Euro if you buy it in Eastern Europe which is an incredible cheap price comapred to other DSLRs, because the lens itself surely is worth around 500 Euro.

- Olympus has provided a free OM->4/3 Adapter, so it's possible to use OM lenses like 50/1,4 or 400/5,6 which you can get very cheap at ebay. You have to use stop down metering and focus manually and spot metering doesn't work very well (other metering modes do) but it is an option if you need some special lenses. You can also use tilt/shift lenses made for other mounts, i.e. Nikon via Adapter. Manual focus and stop down metering should not be a problem with that kind of lens.

- AF is faster with new firmware and battery-grip (which sadly is very expensive)

- high ISO noise is much better controlled if you use Adobe RAW at the expense of some detail

I made the switch from Canon gear, which I used for many years (including one year with the 10D) to Olympus because for my photography needs (mostly travel and macro) Olympus is significantly superior (for me) to Canon.

- I had dust on my 10D sensor which I find very annoying when I take pictures of landscape and macro which require small aperture. I will look forward how the ultrasonic cleaner of the E-1 will handle that. Didn't have read much complains about dust on E-1 yet.

kind regards

-- Martin R, December 20, 2004

All images displayed in this review have been processed with Adobe Camera Raw 2.0. This early version had several shortcomings (problems with reds and general color miss-calibration) and did *not* officially support E-1 raw files.

Even with the last release version (2.3), ACR needs to be calibrated to really give the most out of E-1 raw files.

The three most obvious things I noticed is the general lack of contrast, lack of "pop" and a lack of sharpness in these images.

ACR-processed E-1 raw files needs a significant contrast push from the default value (+25) used in this review. The lack of "pop" is also obvious to someone used to ACR and is due to the rather strong default color noise reduction (25). When you're not processing an ISO 1600 or 3200 file, I strongly suggest to set the color noise reduction to 0. Finally, without further sharpening, the default sharpness level is too low in ACR. Instead of +25, a +50 looks much better for low ISO images.

All that to say that these images absolutely do not show what you will get with out-of-the-camera JPEGs.

-- Rémi Guyomarch, December 20, 2004

The E1 packs a lot of punch, and ALL ZD lenses are simply immaculate, easily comparable to Canon L-Glass or Nikon top-of-the-line AFD lenses. No USM or IS though, but what the smaller, more solid body of the E1 does not compensate, the dust-shaker easily does.

ZD 50-200/2.8-3.5

ZD 50-200/2.8-3.5

Btw, the 11-22/2.8-3.5 wide angle zoom lens is one of the best I've ever used, easily tramping the 17-40/4L Canon and the 18-35/3.5-4.5 AFD Nikon, which are more or less in the same price range. The 7-14/4 which I have not tried is supposed to be a unique, one of a kind ultra wide angle zoom.

-- Yaron Kidron, December 26, 2004

I was with Yaron Kidron when he took the above photos. I was so impressed with the image quality of these photos, and the ease of use with this camera, that I recently bought an E-1 system for my small photo business. I do some commercial photography and I have better flash consistency with the E-1 than with any other digital camera I have used. For my first test I used a Vivitar 285 with the E-1 in M mode and the exposure was dead-on perfect. This is a truly fine camera system.

-- todd frederick, January 22, 2005

I am celebrity photographer, I bought my first olympus e1 in early February 2004.

I have an E1, a grip, 11-22, 14-54 and 50-200, FL50 flashgun and battery pack....

The results from my e1 and lenses seem to sharper and more flattering skin tones than my colleagues with their Nikon D2H's

In my opinion the E1 and 4/3 systems are flawed, good ideas badly implemented but have great potential.

Olympus want to be consided pro camera makers but the E1 only does 3 frames per second and the new olympus e300 even less.

I feel that I have been moderately successful, 'despite' the e1. Their lenses have no zoom or focus lock, no image stabilisation. And there are no FAST lenses other than the 50mmF2 macro. The most useful lens, the 300mmF2.8, equivilent to a 600mm on a 35mm camera is far too expensive...I would love to try the 300m with a teleconverter...

ok...more work to do....must go..

-- Stephen Walters, January 27, 2005

The E system is in evolution,only hit the shelves in late 2003. As noted in some of the links to real world users discounting the celebrity shooters--- are they not called "paparazzi?"(I jest)--,E-1 is truly not El Ultimo Perfecto body and so what. As a first entry in DSLR by Olympus in 30 years since the very innovative OM system was intro'd, it is a tour de- force of nifty features! think about what it does have,dust reduction,seals,a comprehensive dedicated flash, and on and on... The next high end model- coming around soon enough folks,before this thread gets too stale- will capture more professional interest,just as the water resistance,sturdy build, high quality zoom lenses at competiitive prices have captured attention of those who did our homework.Frankly, the stale nitpic about the 300mm lens has become,truly,pure cliche. A nitpic to nail the whole system,give us a break. The previous comment was damning with faint praise,or came out that way. I want to offer a positive encouragement to anyone that is open minded, and doesn't seek the Ideal,Perfect Platonic Tool so to speak.

Can you get by with a classy chassis machine to work with,enough to equal film,a fine powerful flash,good zooms,lenses that won't break the piggy bank. Give this system two more years and it will become not a household word,but something to garner admiration from all but the most recalcitrant reviewers.

Can you be impressed with high precision zooms coming soon with F 2.0 throughout the range? Just think,sportsfans,what that will offer. Stabilization- have no doubt the mating with Panasonic will solve that little itch...

Nuff said,'cept a-loooo-ha,

Gerry, Oahu

-- Gerald Siegel, April 26, 2005

I've had E1, 14-54, 50-200 and Fl50 for more than 6 months and have used extensively. This is a terrific people camera. It does NOT have anything like the resolution of 35mm film, nor does any digital of this resolution. Its one weakness is detailed landscape. It is bettered in this by 35mm, and hammered by MF. I am constantly berated for pointing this out, but I do so purely so people will not foolishly ditch all their analogue kit and lose equipment which betters this equipment for some types of photos. I've found it ultra-reliable and very good ergonomically. It's also very very quiet, the sensor has never got dirty and you can use it in the rain.

-- Gearóid Ó Laoi, April 29, 2005

"I am constantly berated for pointing this out, but I do so purely so people will not foolishly ditch all their analogue kit and lose equipment which betters this equipment for some types of photos. I've found it ultra-reliable and very good ergonomically. It's also very very quiet, the sensor has never got dirty ..." A very reasonable point. Why make it an all or nothing business. This may indeed be the time to fill out your medium format system by taking advantage of those who have just decided to skinny down their collection. But when I climb Krakatoa caldera, and hike the Andes, I take the E-1 not the Bronica. That is my resolution of the choice factor. GS

-- Gerald Siegel, April 29, 2005

This E1 review has some odd observations. 1.The splash proof ability is described as semi-pro - the Nikon D70, canon eos rebel xt or d20 have no claim at all to dust/water resistance -so the E1 is superior! 2.The wake -up time on my E1 is near to .5 second (but then mine has firmware 1.1) 3. The start up time is nearer 1.5 second - but reviewer manages to leave out the fact that the on-board CCD cleaner is working at every start-up - a huge advantage that is worth a pathetic second to wait for - especially as dirty CCDs are costing Nikon & Canon DSLR owners plenty of money - but then they get 'instant' start up. Whoppee.

-- mark hoffman, May 20, 2005

Since this review has come out, a number of new lenses have been released or announced, and a new Matsushita partnership announced.

I have the 7-14, and to say the least, I am very impressed. I am using in for indoor panoramas, and the PTools correction figures for this lens are almost nil! I would have preferred a fixed-length 7mm lens with 2.8 or even 2 aperture, with less weight and lower cost.

The new f2 lenses are sure to be incredible -- both in performance, and unfortunately, cost.

I think Olympus is positioning this system as a boutique/specialist system. That's good for single-digit market share, a la Apple or Porsche. But their partnership with Sigma and Matsushita may end up providing a full range from consumer through "money is no object" types.

-- Jan Steinman, July 6, 2005

I've found my Olympus E-1 kit to be a superbly designed and rugged tool. I respect the art and expertise of others here, having only briefly worked as and with pros. But I do take photgraphy seriously and have followed it closely for four decades. During this time, few have dared to innovate as Olympus did with the E-1 (even more than the OM). Its 4:3 ratio is more effectively useful than the 3:2 that 35mm became shoehorned into, and its form, proportions and controls--mostly--reflect consequent elegant ergonomic engineering decisions.

I long examined and tried the Nikon D70 and Canon 20D outfits before finally buying an E-1, 14-54 & 50-200 zooms and 50/2 macro. In part because that whole kit fit easily into one of Adoramas sweet little Slinger bags...with even room for the 7-14 zoom I'm saving for!. In part because of the bright, uncluttered viewfinder. And mostly because of the incredibly solid feel, impressive sealing and solid construction that made even the 20D, whose newer technology I *wanted* to like more, seem awkward, gadgety, and flimsy in comparison.

I've since used my outfit on steaming, soaking hikes through the rainforests of Dominica, on blizzardy -40 days here, and, just last week, on the 23 kilometre hike up to the Burgess Shale with never an equipment--though a few user--glitches. I suspect that either the D70 or the 20D would have sustained some damage on the same trips, and *know* that I would have sustained considerable damage, had I cared to carry their elephantine "pro" cameras along (am talking from experience here!).

The E-1 could benefit from better AF, Image stab, better low light performance, a larger viewing screen, faster response times, etc, etc. But it is, nevertheless, a superb working tool and instrument.

erichK, saskatoon, canada

-- erich keser, August 5, 2005

For six months, I have been using an E1 with Zuiko 50-200 2.8-3/5 and 14-54 2.8-3.5 lenses and FL-50 flash. I shoot primarily sailboat regattas, i.e. fast moving targets shot from a wet and unstable platform. Prior to buying this camera, I used an Olympus C740 10x zoom for a year. My comments stem from over 15,000 images under many kinds of conditions.

I have been disappointed in some aspects of this camera.

The autofocus hunts enough that I have found it necessary to use manual focus for shots where the subjects are close to me and/or close together. It is very difficult to get enough depth of field to cover action at full zoom.

The autoexposure cannot handle following all the changes that happen with white sails against dark water when both the subjects and the photographer are bouncing all over the place. I have had best results with manual exposure, choosing the setting from pointing the camera around in Aperture priority mode with at least f11 (always ISO 400 or maybe 800 when it is raining). This works when the weather is either uniformly dull or uniformly sunny but for changing light, it is a real pain. Also you have to remember to change it as the sun moves during the day.

The color response is very puzzling. When I shoot Auto white balance, everything is far too blue (i.e. Nikon colored). The "Manual white balance" where you push a button while pointing the camera at something neutral, fails as well. I wonder whether its algorithms are based on assumptions about the balance of colors in the scene (I have whites & water basically, with little bits of bright yellow and orange thrown in, very little landscape green). Now, I use K equiv of 6000 and it is better. But not nearly as good as the consumer level camera, which has nice rich color and where Auto works for everything, even indoors or with flash.

Forget how long it takes for the camera to awake from sleep. How about a self-described SLR where - you can see through the lens when the camera is off and you waste valuable time trying to shoot and wondering why the shutter won't fire - you can see images through the viewfinder and record them with the lens cap on (yes, they are black mostly) I don't understand why I haven't see other complaints about this interface glitch.

I have not had good results with camera raw and don't see the point really for the kind of shooting that I do. The JPG images "out of the box" look better and take less disk space and less fiddling. (Yes, I did upgrade the firmware.)

The flash has good range and sometimes seems quite "smart" (I.e. coordinated with the lens zoom). Other times, I can't get a half-decent picture with it; even with the focus-assist lamp it just won't find anything to grab onto.

I chose this particularly for the build quality and compactness. I had used Olympus digital Camedia series for years so expected to be very happy with the E1, particularly the color balance and image sharpness. Now I suspect I would have been better off with the Canon or Nikon that every other sport photographer uses.

-- Jan Walker, August 29, 2005

" How about a self-described SLR where - you can see through the lens when the camera is off and you waste valuable time trying to shoot and wondering why the shutter won't fire - you can see images through the viewfinder and record them with the lens cap on (yes, they are black mostly) I don't understand why I haven't see other complaints about this interface glitch."

I read this three times and don't understand it. Only KMinolta has an eye or hand activated on- switch. If there is no info on the bottom of the screen the camera is not on. An LED might be useful. Or use manual shutter mode all the time,not sure.The only other thing I can think of regarding the sailboat subjects is that those operating conditions would likely tax/push any camera. I would suggest a Canon weather sealed model and image stabilization. For four thousand dollars, I believe a great system could be acquired in that realm. Yes,you may need to go high professional for sails coming abeam of you at racing speeds in changing light

Olympus is not the sports photographer's greatest achievement. Yet,I have seen some great motorcycle and bicycle events captured with the E system. It is indeed not the fastest focus system. Yet depth of focus has not been a problem. Never need to go beyond f 5.6 actually. Wish I could get LESS dof with people shots. No disputing that what works for one will not be suitable for another. Good luck Jan, and don't abandon the system yet. I think by February they will have a much improved body and maybe even IS lenses. Or Panasonic will. I love sailboats. Charles River,Boston as a youth was my playground. And later, I joined the Navy. Ever see a whaleboat race...honest. GS

-- Gerald Siegel, September 18, 2005

I recently compared the E1 to the competition, and I personally think it compares very favourably. It seems to me to be targeted at the location shooter, with it's compact dimensions, relatively light weight, moisture/ dust seals, and small, light lenses.

If I was a sports shooter, I would definitely be looking more towards Canon, although I have seen the work of motor racing photographers using this system, and the results were very impressive.

I shoot food/lifestyle and interiors for editorial clients, and I am convinced that the E1 could handle this type of work quite admirably. Don't be put off by the fact that this camera has 'only' 5 MP resolution. The sensors resolution is only the starting point- the important thing is what the camera does with this resolution, and this is where the engineers at Olympus have excelled.The colours are life-like, sharpness very good ( easily reproduces to A3),great tonality, strong contrast.

As for the comments that this camera does not match 35mm, I think the author needs to look not at the camera, but at their technique.In my experience, it sits between 35mm and medium format. It can match a 645 tranny easily when tripoded.

I am about to buy into the system, and for my type of work it will do nicely.Most of my work is on location, so compactness and light weight are important.And if I do need more resolution, I will just hire an H1 with an Imacon digital back- or I can still do the shoot with my trusty Sinar 4x5 or Hasselblad film cameras.

Jon Ferguson, October 15, 2005.

-- Jon Ferguson, October 15, 2005

Jan Walker, are you certain that you've set up everything properly on the E-1? I recently had a pleasant surprise when my E1 system managed to produce good shots of Sandhill Cranes in flight at a nearby riverside wilderness area. I was initially frustrated and angry with the camera. Then I read and re-read the sometimes cryptic manual and examined and reset half a dozen functions. To my delight I found that by canceling NR and a number of other functions, I could get pretty decent bursts of speed, even in RAW and that-usually--setting focusing to the centre sensor and burst mode worked well enough to track these fast moving birds with the 50-200 zoom. (You're right about the lack of a focus limiter to keep this lens, with its long focus range, from really hunting , once it starts...the single focus point really greatly here!

I also went from a p&s (an Oly 5050 that I still use under water) to the E-1 (after a long hiatus from film) and was initially diappointed with the E-1 images. It's taken most of a year and many images to start to really understand and use the many settings and special functions of a professional dslr camera like the E-1, and especially the post-processing for which such cameras are really designed. It's been a frustrating, even painful, but also immensly worthwhile process that is taking my photography to a whole new level.

The E-500 looks like a tempting, light and cheap second body...and picture viewing device, but February/March should bring a new pro E model with the substantial upgrades to focussing, speed, metering and sensor resolution and noise (which even Oly's mgr admits are overdue). I think that I can wait that long. Meanwhile, my E-1 and its 14054, 50-200, 50 f2 and a new 11-22 are accompanying us to the Galapagos.

-- erich keser, December 4, 2005

Jan Walker, are you certain that you've set up everything properly on the E-1? I recently had a pleasant surprise when my E1 system managed to produce good shots of Sandhill Cranes in flight at a nearby riverside wilderness area. I was initially frustrated and angry with the camera. Then I read and re-read the sometimes cryptic manual and examined and reset half a dozen functions. To my delight I found that by canceling NR and a number of other functions, I could get pretty decent bursts of speed, even in RAW and that-usually--setting focusing to the centre sensor and burst mode worked well enough to track these fast moving birds with the 50-200 zoom. (You're right about the lack of a focus limiter to keep this lens, with its long focus range, from really hunting , once it starts...the single focus point really greatly here!

I also went from a p&s (an Oly 5050 that I still use under water) to the E-1 (after a long hiatus from film) and was initially diappointed with the E-1 images. It's taken most of a year and many images to start to really understand and use the many settings and special functions of a professional dslr camera like the E-1, and especially the post-processing for which such cameras are really designed. It's been a frustrating, even painful, but also immensly worthwhile process that is taking my photography to a whole new level.

The E-500 looks like a tempting, light and cheap second body...and picture viewing device, but February/March should bring a new pro E model with the substantial upgrades to focussing, speed, metering and sensor resolution and noise (which even Oly's mgr admits are overdue). I think that I can wait that long. Meanwhile, my E-1 and its 14-54, 50-200, 50 f2 and a new 11-22 are accompanying us to the Galapagos.

-- erich keser, December 4, 2005

I've been using 2 E-1's for 12 months, photographing school portraits (50,000 exposures) and while the results are generally good, I've experienced focusing problems with the 50mm lens. Some images are unsharp; show movement of the subject. I use studio flash all the time. The 14-54mmm lens is much better, however, some images are still unusable. Has anyone else experienced these problems?

-- Peter Cox, January 23, 2006

I have a bunch of nikon digital stuff and Kodak digital stuff but I've recently bought a couple of e-1's with SLHD-2's. These cameras feel so good in the hand. The images at anything iso 400 and smaller are just amazing. They seem to have more depth and weight than the files I get from the D2x. If you just evaluate the image quality without making any other value judgement you'll find them to be remarkable. I'm working up the courage to pare down to just these two cameras.

Kirk

-- kirk Tuck, February 16, 2006

I have done photography for over 40 years. I had 2 Nikkormat bodies, an 85-1.8, 35-2.0, 24-2.8, Vivitar 70-210 Series 1 Macro and a 150-3.5 Kilfit. I used to do a lot of B&W darkroom work but haven't done any latelly. I have a Dimage Elite 5400-II scanner and a Dual II which I use to scan all my old negs and slides. I refused to go digital until I could get at least a 28mm equiv lens at a reasonable price. I used a Dimage 7 until it died. I did a lot of research before replacing it with the E-500 in Feb of 06. I wanted to use my old glass. I found out something interesting. If you have almost any SLR except a Canon, you can get an adapter to use your old glass!!! I use all of my lenses and I have kept my two Nikkormats for those times when I use film. I load one with B&W and one with ColorNeg of Slide film. I found that the E-500 had very low noise and do almost all of my shooting in RAW+JPEG. If I want to shoot action, I cheat, set it to manual and use a SanDisk III card and I can fill the 1G card at 3 FPS!!!.

So if you are an old dog like me and have non-Canon glass, get a E series and an adapter ring and use your old glass. I don't find it difficult to set distance, f-stop and speed because I' used to it. If you are worried about exposure shoot a few trial shots to get the exposure and then go to work

-- James J H Rooney, June 30, 2006

dear OLYMPUS : if you are to upgrade the E1 , please consider the following : a larger, fully - articulated 2.5 INCH LCD panel , 16MEGAPIXEL FULL-FRAME CMOS IMAGING SENSOR , a better integrated fit between the power battery holder and the E1 body (study CANONs design), the incorporation of an IMAGE STABILIZING SYSTEM , more logically positioned TACTILE CONTROL BUTTONS to be situated mostly at the camera grip areas (study the BOEING F16 JOYSTICK) , ENVIRONMENTALLY - SEALED LENSES. , a shiny , chrome - plated OLYMPUS label instead of the normal white silkscreen print , the TONING DOWN of the SIZE and FONT of the E1 script as similarly applied to the F4 in Nikon's , REINFORCED DUST AND MOISTURE SEALS , and the ability of the E1 camera to be able to use RECHARGEABLE AA BATTERIES inside the power battery holder . finally, however you do all these changes to the next-gen OLYMPUS E1 , PLEASE.....DO NOT CHANGE THE SHAPE OF THE CURRENT E1 as it is the SEXIEST - LOOKING CAMERA IN THE BUSINESS TODAY WITH ITS UNIQUELY-CONFIGURED AXIALLY = OFFSET VERTICAL BODY FORMAT COMPLIMENTING ITS SUPERB , ERGONOMICALLY - CONTOURED GRIP SURFACES ... thanks , OLYMPUS , carlhamilton

-- carl hamilton, September 21, 2006