The beginner's Micro Four Thirds interchangeable lens camera has finally washed ashore! Read our full Olympus E-PL1 review here.
Olympus E-PL1 Overview
The Olympus E-PL1 is perhaps the most anticipated digital camera since the introduction of the company's first Micro Four Thirds camera, the Olympus E-P1. This time around, Olympus is targeting the beginner circuit, you know, shooters looking to ditch that cumbersome Super Zoom fixed lens or that stifling Auto mode-clad point-and-shoot compact. The Olympus E-PL1 is the next logical step to bridge the gap between the hobbyist and the burgeoning photographer, and several of the camera's features take a size 12 boot to the door that separates novice from advanced shooter. However, Panasonic just released the Lumix DMC-G10, which we happened to test side-by-side with the Olympus E-PL1. Have no fear—we'll help you determine which new beginner-friendly Micro Four Thirds camera is for you.
Olympus E-PL1 Construction
Working with a 12-Megapixel Four Thirds sensor, the Olympus E-PL1 (specs) sheds its mirror box, which slashes off bulk, but also does away with an optical viewfinder. The hot shoe allows shooters to mount an aftermarket Electronic Viewfinder or Optical Viewfinder that is only compatible with the 17mm Micro Four Thirds pancake lens. The sad news about neglecting to integrate a viewfinder into the camera's body is that the shoe must now be shared with aftermarket flashes, mics, and other accessories. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 has a built-in viewfinder, which gives it the edge over the E-PL1, even though the Lumix G10's Viewfinder resolution is not very impressive.
We did like the Olympus E-PL1's pop-up flash, which looked just like Johnny 5. The other appealing factor of the Olympus E-PL1 is that its interchangeable lens system not only fits the entire library of Micro Four Thirds lenses offered by Olympus, but we exchanged lenses with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 during our shoot as well. Olympus gave us a 9-18mm wide-angle lens in addition to the standard 14-42mm lens that ships with the E-PL1. Olympus also stuffed an Image Stabilization system inside the body of the E-PL1, which means there's no need to buy a more expensive lens with Image Stabilization built right in.
Our final thoughts on the body design of the Olympus E-PL1 center around this camera's more basic structure. There's no ancillary selection dial for scrolling through options, and we don't get an ISO ring or something similar to what the Canon PowerShot G11 offers. A standard 2.7-inch LCD screen in back coupled with a very basic smattering of external buttons makes the Olympus E-PL1 all the more appropriate for the average beginner. JPEGs, RAW images, and Motion-JPEG files are recorded to SD/SDHC cards, and the Olympus E-PL1's lithium ion battery is half the size of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10's, which means, you guessed it, half the battery life.
Shooting with the Olympus E-PL1
The most prominent beginner-friendly shooting mode on the Olympus E-PL1 was called Live Guide, which simplified the acts of adjusting the White Balance and changing the Shutter Speed by offering options like "Change Color Image" or "Express Motions." We tended to stay out of Live Guide, opting to make Manual adjustments on our own, but we pinned the system up against our own choices and found Live Guide to be very impressive for a beginner. Of course, Live Guide can't select super low shutter speeds for tripod shooting and can't finagle the Aperture, but it's a great stepping-stone for Manual operation. Also, Live Guide includes shooting tips on how to shoot children, Pets, Food, and more. We liked the fact that the Olympus E-PL1 allowed us to shoot in four different aspect ratios (4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 6:6).
Outside of Live Guide in Auto mode, options were narrowed to the usual suspects. Program AE, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual Mode, and Scene Modes. We got an ISO that spanned from 100 to 3200, Aperture range of f/4.0 to f/22 (with the 9-18mm lens), and Shutter Speed range of 60 seconds to 1/2000-second. These are fairly generous parameters, especially for a beginner. We also get the Olympus Art modes that we got on the Olympus E-620, including Pop Art, Pin Hole, Grainy Film, and this time around we were greeted with the ever-popular Diorama, or Miniature mode. We will say that the Olympus E-PL1's Art modes beat the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10's by a long shot, so if you're looking to avoid Photoshop, the Olympus E-PL1 is the ticket. On a final note, the Olympus E-PL1 is a quick camera, but the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 proved to be the speed king when it came to navigation and menu response.
Olympus E-PL1 Still Image Quality
If you remember our review of the Olympus E-620, we were jazzed with the DSLR's image quality. Well, the same applied here with the Olympus E-PL1. Beautifully rendered, natural colors, crisp, detailed lines, and an uncanny ability to stave off common image aberrations like fringing and noise. Even at ISO 1600, our images were great, though we'd recommend shooting with a slow shutter on a tripod at lower ISO levels for more professional shots. But you can really attain magnificent images with the Olympus E-PL1 in both bright and dark light. As you can see in our samples, the camera has an innate ability to render nature, and life-like qualities abound. Of course, we recommend shooting in RAW for the serious snappers out there, but even the E-PL1's JPEG performance was excellent. This is a camera that will deliver, and will most certainly provide gallery-grade shots for your first exhibit.
The Olympus E-PL1 records 720p 30fps Motion-JPEG video, and the quality is better than most other Motion-JPEG cameras we've tested, thanks to the Four Thirds sensor. However, the Olympus E-PL1 still couldn't match the Nikon Coolpix P100's 1080p video, and ended up a few neck lengths behind the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10. The big question was whether to see if the Olympus E-PL1 could tackle a short film. After all, shooters will want to get the most out of their E-PL1. So, we utilized the stereo lavaliere microphone Olympus provided us and shot this short film, "UHL: PowerPlays for Life."
We also tested the camera's low light capability at a campground, and the Olympus E-PL1 held its own with a decent exposure. After testing the Olympus E-PL1 in a multitude of environments we can safely say that the camera will provide video quality that suits YouTube quality short films, but nothing on the professional scale. Our 8GB SDHC card gave us roughly 24 minutes of recording time, and surprisingly the battery was in good shape after an hour and a half of shooting. Regarding the lavaliere mic, wind noise was an issue, as you can hear in our video, but it was better than going with the onboard mic. If you really want to shoot short films with an interchangeable lens system camera, the Pentax K-X is the way to go.
Olympus E-PL1 or Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10?
Both the Olympus E-PL1 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 offer exceptional still image quality and the joy of cross-compatible interchangeable lenses. We also save a lot of bulk, thanks to the Micro Four Thirds design, omitting the mirror box found in a DSLR. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 edged out the Olympus E-PL1 slightly in the video department, so we're left with body construction and interface to battle over. In all honesty, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 offers a much faster menu system, EVF, larger LCD, and better external controls. The Olympus E-PL1 rocks the retro style, has better Art modes, and is more suited for beginners looking to bridge the fixed lens to interchangeable lens gap. Despite its highly competitive price, we'd recommend the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 to more advanced beginners while the Olympus E-PL1 solidifies its place as one of the best bridge cameras we've ever tested.
Price and availability
The Olympus E-PL1 is available now for approximately $600.
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