Olympus E-P1 w 17mm f/2.8 lens

The EP-1 is a great camera, I think. My one complaint has been that I miss a built-in flash at times.. for example, back-lit photos or whatnot, really just need that flash. Also, I’d say the full-auto “iAuto” mode is unusable… but I stick with P or A modes and have no troubles. The camera has lots of customization options which is a bit overwhelming at first, but also quite nice in the long run. Plus, once you set up the options you want, you don’t really have to delve into them again. Focus is a bit slower than Panasonic GF-1 (I use center focus, so not a huge issue), and the screen isn’t as nice, but the colors it produces and the default JPEGs coming out of the camera are so much better.

I should add, though, that I got this camera to replace a point-and-shoot. So, I’m quite … lax. I don’t care to closely analyze the ISO performance because it beats the camera on my phone and the P&S I used to carry… but then again, I guess that’s also why I miss having a flash built-in. :P

Alas, I have made peace with my Olympus Tough 8000 camera. After pretty much bashing its usage in my own review, I’ve found a way to use this camera to my liking while taking advantage of its unique “Tough” qualities.

This is now the camera that comes with me when I go out for a party or a late night. I don’t have to worry about stuff spilling on it or it accidentally getting dropped on the floor. And full-auto mode works perfectly fine indoors since the camera generally just fires off its flash anyway. When going for a non-flash picture, or on rare occasions when I take this around with me on an afternoon stroll, I turn it to P mode and operate it pretty much in ISO-priority mode. By controlling the ISO, I can insure that the camera-selected shutter speed is sufficient for a non-blurred picture. Finally (and this was my key realization), at higher ISOs there’s a lot of noise, for sure, but by converting the high-ISO pictures to black and white you actually get quite nice results!

100% crop of noise @ ISO800 and this is already taken at a lower resolution of 2560x1920

Original pic @ ISO800, washed out colors & noisy

Converts beautifully to black & white!

Initial impressions?

Negatives: The lens is pretty cheap feeling — makes me wonder if it’s worth spending another $20 for a filter. BUT, i love the fact that it’s so compact and light.. and it fits the camera perfectly. The viewfinder is well-constructed but feels pretty cheap too.. I’m guessing this was to save on weight. The VF lines are useable but not superb. If you’re buying a viewfinder separately and really care about the quality of it, I’d recommend spending the extra money and getting a Voigtlander one or something because this one probably isn’t worth the some $90 it costs when sold separately.

Positives: Lens and viewfinder both mount very securely. I love the way this camera feels in my hands. It’s a good size with just enough weight to feel sturdy without weighing you down. Dials and buttons all have a sturdy feel. Overall, very well made and designed, and very sexy, haha. Can’t wait to use it!

Sony's new super zoom digital still and video camera.

Just handled the new Sony DSC-HX1 VERY briefly and saw a bunch of video and images shot with it. The DSC-HX1 is Sony’s new super zoom digital still and video camera — “still and video” because the AVC video quality is superb! I’d say, even more so than its new auto-panorama function, the video capabilities of this camera are a real strong point. As for handling impressions, in my big hands the camera grip is a bit on the small side, and the function dial & articulating screen both feel a LITTLE cheaper than I would like, but everything works as it should. I was very impressed with my brief use of the intelligent auto picture mode. Focus lock was attained in under a second for all cases I tried, and this included sticking my hand up around 5″ away from the camera — it switched to macro mode automatically and focused within a second again.

I’d say for regular point & shoot mindless usage, this camera is definitely great. Image quality is sufficient, video quality is superb, and the camera is responsive and not too heavy with a great zoom range (28mm-560mm). Downsides for me include the lack of RAW recording, the articulating screen only goes up-down not left-right as well, and.. well, a bit of personal preference here… the colors and tones just seem a bit bland to me. I’m a fan of the color produced by Fujifilm consumer digitals so… yah, there’s definitely some bias there.

Anyway, if you’re shopping for a super zoom compact digital camera, don’t forget to check out the DSC-HX1! Personally, since I’m not in the market for a super zoom, I think I’ll hold out for the next generation “HX2″ (more likely a HX5 or something like that since Sony likes to skip around) .. maybe they’ll throw in the new Exmor R sensor.