Olympus Pen EPL1

LouiseTopp

LouiseTopp

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Have been into Jessops and looked at this and I like what I saw, anyone think this is a good camera for landscapes? There's an upgraded version, but I like this one better.

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Also has good reviews on Amazon :)
 
Tried one in a shop and hated it. It might take wonderful pics for all I know but the handling (for me) was dreadful. Changing aperture and exposure compensation was a baffling ordeal where buttons kept changing their function arbitrarily.
I tend to shoot in aperture priority mode with auto white balance, so all I want is a thumbwheel and an EC button. Is that too much to ask?

I really wanted to like the Olympus due to fast AF and in-body IS, but only the standard PENs (EP-x) handle well, and the EP-3 is ridiculously expensive. So I went with a Panasonic GF2 instead. The clicky thumbwheel is a much better implementation than that on the PEN lites (E-PLx) and mini (E-PMx).
 
Great looking camera Loiuse and good value. There's so many great offerings now in this type of camera. Perhaps check out the Sony NEX 3 or NEX 5 which have a much larger sensor - in fact the same size as many DSLRs and offering identical image quality.
 
CT said:
Great looking camera Loiuse and good value. There's so many great offerings now in this type of camera. Perhaps check out the Sony NEX 3 or NEX 5 which have a much larger sensor - in fact the same size as many DSLRs and offering identical image quality.
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Jessops said they could give me a camera bag and sim card for 333.90, is that a good deal?
 
LouiseTopp said:
Jessops said they could give me a camera bag and sim card for 333.90, is that a good deal?
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It depends how big the card is really and you need to look around and see that you're getting a competitive price from Jessops in the first place. Have a look at
 
CT said:
It depends how big the card is really and you need to look around and see that you're getting a competitive price from Jessops in the first place. Have a look at
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Have a look at...?
 
LouiseTopp said:
Jessops said they could give me a camera bag and sim card for 333.90, is that a good deal?
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It depends how big the card is really and what bag it is. You need to look around and see that you're getting a competitive price from Jessops in the first place.

Don't do anything in a rush, especially if this s going to be your main camera - there are a lot choices out there. :)
 
CT said:
It depends how big the card is really and what bag it is. You need to look around and see that you're getting a competitive price from Jessops in the first place.

Don't do anything in a rush, especially if this s going to be your main camera - there are a lot choices out there. :)
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No I'm doing a lot of research on it. Good reviews on Amazon for it
 
What lenses does that include? Just the 14-4mm?
Also, what bag and card? (by the way, it's an SD card - SIM cards are for phones!). If they're cheap and nasty they might not be worth it...
 
Just checked the Jessops website.
It's charging £250 for the body + 14-42 and £350 for body + 14-42 + 40-150.

So if your local shop want £330 for the 14-42 plus bag and card, that isn't a good deal. If it's the twin lens kit, it's a great deal (assuming you want all of the kit).
 
Llamaman said:
Just checked the Jessops website.
It's charging £250 for the body + 14-42 and £350 for body + 14-42 + 40-150.

So if your local shop want £330 for the 14-42 plus bag and card, that isn't a good deal. If it's the twin lens kit, it's a great deal (assuming you want all of the kit).
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Where's the best place to get this camera from? Should I ask for the twin lens kit, which may mean extra cost.
 
LouiseTopp said:
Where's the best place to get this camera from? Should I ask for the twin lens kit, which may mean extra cost.
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If the twin lens kit is still £350 at Jessops then it's a pretty good price. It means you are only paying £100 for the very good Olympus 40-150 zoom.

I have the EP-L2 which has the same sensor, and for most things the images are indistinguishable from those taken with a Canon DSLR, and that includes landscapes.

Edit
Don't be taken in by the sales drivel for "free" or "included" accessories, they are what the shop makes a huge mark up on. I have bought 8gb SD cards for around £10 online, and a bag I use to carry my kit in actually cost £10 in last years Jessops sale (a Lowepro Terrclime), so bags and cards are relatively cheap when you shop around.
 
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Danny_Two said:
For lanscapes I'd buy the body only for £200 and look for a used 9-18 lens. If your happy with the kit lens then Park cameras do lens and body for £250 if you don't mind it in red.
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Argos have a special deal on it at the moment

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/s...1500002901&langId=-1&searchTerms=OLYMPUS+EPL1

I don't think they have included a bag or a card (I have an SD 2GB anyway) and I could probably get the bag at a later date. They are selling this at £279.99, its discontinued but that doesn't bother me. If I wanted the 4GB card it would take it up to £286.65. Should I go for the Argos offer instead?
 
The Argos deal looks OK and the good thing about Argos is that they exchange faulty items with no quibbles at all should that prove necessary.

If you're absolutely sure this is the camera you want then go for it. The only drawback I can see considering this will be your main camera (most enthusiasts buy these cameras as a second 'walkaround' camera) is that it doesn't have a viewfinder and there there are larger sensor options out there.
 
CT said:
The Argos deal looks OK and the good thing about Argos is that they exchange faulty items with no quibbles at all should that prove necessary.

If you're absolutely sure this is the camera you want then go for it. The only drawback I can see considering this will be your main camera (most enthusiasts buy these cameras as a second 'walkaround' camera) is that it doesn't have a viewfinder and there there are larger sensor options out there.
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Found it at Castle Cameras for £249.00 which is cheaper then Argos, don't know if they do the offers through. I could spend age's looking for a main camera, I was interested in the Canon SX40 bridge but got put off by a lot of people.
 
As already said Louise, shop around and look at similar systems from other manufacturers, Panasonic and Sony in particular. A Nikon version has just gone on sale but it is more expensive and proper customer reviews will take a few weeks to kick in - and even as a confirmed Nikon freak, even I suspect it wont be any better than alternative cheaper options.

FWIW, This one you are looking at is the one I am considering as a hobby camera for when I am not working - small, flexible, lens options and I don't need a pack horse to carry it. I have looked at all of them, read all the reviews, and the only thing that is swaying me atm is the Fuji X10, but that's because it looks more retro and cute than this, but is also more expensive and doesn't has the lens flexibility, so in your case, I wouldn't recommend it.

As already said, forget all the 'free this and that' as most aren't, just find a good kit option at the best price from a 'known' retailer [you can always ask here about whether some of the online shops are reliable and legitimate] and if you get a few extra bits, all the better :thumbs:
 
Crocky said:
Didn't someone further down say it was £250 in Jessops?
Have a look on Camera Price Buster. It seems most places are selling it for £250.
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Yes, that was me. No-one listens to me!
£250 for black body & 14-42 on their website, plus with Jessops you can usually order online and collect in store.
 
LouiseTopp said:
Found it at Castle Cameras for £249.00 which is cheaper then Argos, don't know if they do the offers through. I could spend age's looking for a main camera, I was interested in the Canon SX40 bridge but got put off by a lot of people.
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Well it's an important choice for you Louise and from what I've seen of your work you definitely need a camera which you aren't going to outgrow quickly - it's an expensive game if you make the wrong choice at this stage and have to swap again before too long.

I've just bought a Sony NEX 5n and I can say I'm honestly blown away with the results which are every bit as good as my Canon 7D and 50D but it has the same size sensor as those cameras - in fact just a tiny bit larger, The 5n is a bit more than you want to pay probably , but you can still get the earlier NEX3 and NEX 5 models and they're being quite heavily discounted now with the later model coming out.

Good luck with your choice but just make sure you're getting the bang for your buck and the camera is what you really need right now - being constrained by finances is a sod I know, but sometimes it pays to wait a little longer.:)
 
Yv said:
As already said Louise, shop around and look at similar systems from other manufacturers, Panasonic and Sony in particular. A Nikon version has just gone on sale but it is more expensive and proper customer reviews will take a few weeks to kick in - and even as a confirmed Nikon freak, even I suspect it wont be any better than alternative cheaper options.

FWIW, This one you are looking at is the one I am considering as a hobby camera for when I am not working - small, flexible, lens options and I don't need a pack horse to carry it. I have looked at all of them, read all the reviews, and the only thing that is swaying me atm is the Fuji X10, but that's because it looks more retro and cute than this, but is also more expensive and doesn't has the lens flexibility, so in your case, I wouldn't recommend it.

As already said, forget all the 'free this and that' as most aren't, just find a good kit option at the best price from a 'known' retailer [you can always ask here about whether some of the online shops are reliable and legitimate] and if you get a few extra bits, all the better :thumbs:
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Castle Cameras have always tried to do me a good deal so I might try them. Was going to wait until Jan but was worried because this camera was discontinued, I might not be able to get it any more.
 
LouiseTopp said:
Castle Cameras have always tried to do me a good deal so I might try them. Was going to wait until Jan but was worried because this camera was discontinued, I might not be able to get it any more.
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Well don't panic, like CT says, I know it's very frustrating when cash is a problem, it still is here, but it can make sense to hold on if you have to. Also remember that there will be 2nd hand options on the kits you are looking at, this one and the current model and options from other manufacturers. NO, I am not suggesting you get on ebay, but the s/h market is worth thinking about too. You have a while before you can get classified access here, but these cameras are coming up for sale at good prices, and will usually get a good bit of well looked after kit and more for your money. So don't panic buy just because this one is the old model, but if you decided it really is the one for you, then good luck and enjoy! :D
 
When you say you like the EPL-1 better than the "upgraded version", did you mean the E-PL2? It does cost a bit more but offers real advantages over the EPL-1. If you could possibly stretch to it, it may be a more satisfying buy.

By the way, Yv mentioned the retro look of the Fuji X10; a leatherette kit from Aki-Asashi gives a lovely retro look and feel: clicky
 
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Yv said:
Well don't panic, like CT says, I know it's very frustrating when cash is a problem, it still is here, but it can make sense to hold on if you have to. Also remember that there will be 2nd hand options on the kits you are looking at, this one and the current model and options from other manufacturers. NO, I am not suggesting you get on ebay, but the s/h market is worth thinking about too. You have a while before you can get classified access here, but these cameras are coming up for sale at good prices, and will usually get a good bit of well looked after kit and more for your money. So don't panic buy just because this one is the old model, but if you decided it really is the one for you, then good luck and enjoy! :D
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Have e-mailed Castle Cameras and they replied saying the Panasonic GF2 was better but Fifty pound more. Its £299 on their website:

http://www.castlecameras.co.uk/panasonic-dmc-gf2-14-42-red
 
SRS Microsystems have it (gf2) in silver for £269 with the 14-42.

Or you can have it with the 14mm pancake and a bag for £299.

Or body only for £169 then get one of the inboxes 14-42s for £79.

If you still want the E-PL1, they have body only for £179 or the 14-42 kit for £249 in black, red or white.
 
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