System camera Olympus PEN E-PL1 in the user test: love at second sight {Trend!-Products}

Sometimes you have to look twice before you realize the value of a thing. This also applies to the Olympus PEN E-PL1, which I use for half a year. At first I was not very fond of her - over time, however, changed my impression. An overview from the user's point of view!

Compact, Spiegelreflex or with a system?

When it comes to cameras, I agree with my colleague Richard Gutjahr: They have to be small, light and fast be. One Spiegelreflex camera was therefore out of the question for me for a long time, at the same time the possibilities of my smartphone camera are still too limited to go beyond snapshots.

So far I had always worked with handy compact cameras, most recently with the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS, which I liked quite well. But increasingly I was looking for further possibilities of adjustment by interchangeable lenses. Also the night shots of the Canon were rather disappointing.

User experience at a glance

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There was the offer from Olympus to support my work with the PEN E-PL1, just right.

Since there are already numerous test reports on the net that are well-founded on the technical equipment and Performance of the camera, I would like to limit myself here to my user experiences as a comparative photography beginner.

The weaknesses

I was admittedly quite skeptical at first. The Olympus is clear heavier than a compact and I felt like there was an uneasy compromise between compactness and Spiegelreflex camera.

In addition, the display, especially at night, has a fairly strong noise, which does not make photography easy. And as a further shortcoming, the camera is synonymous slower, as I am used by previous knipsern.

Charge external battery, no viewfinder

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You also have to charge the battery in an external device, which is cumbersome. But at least it has one and doesn't come with batteries like many cheap clippers that run out of juice too quickly verlieren.

And also a viewfinder is looking at the camera in vain. After all, an electronic viewfinder can be retrofitted.

Numerous adjustment possibilities

For this you often have to unlock the lens cumbersome. Spontaneously take pictures spontaneously - the Olympus is simply not suitable for that. One or the other successful snapshot has already gone through my rag.

Even with the numerous possible settings, I was, admittedly, a bit overwhelmed. There are numerous modes and aperture settings. There are art filters that will turn a photo shoot into a game, but still produce interesting effects (such as the coarse-grained black-and-white mode).

Automatic mode with surprises

And finally, there is also an automatic mode, which again has additional settings (such as brightness). Working through it simply takes time. Meanwhile, I use almost only the automatic mode, which makes even at night without pictures quite excellent shots, which are significantly better than what I had so far experienced in automatic modes with cameras.

In addition, images can be saved in RAW mode from home and then post-processed at home - with the Canon this was only cumbersome using an additional script from the Internet is possible.

Objective with significant extensions

The M. Zuiko does a really good job Digital-Lens 14-42mm/1:3,5-5.6. The images are so sharp that you can easily zoom in afterwards on the computer. A zoom or telephoto lens is almost superfluous for my simple use.

Since I still wanted to try out possible effects, I was looking for inexpensive extensions - and I've found something. Using an OEM Four Thirds adapter, older OEM analog lenses can also be screwed and used on the camera.

You can do that for small Money Buy used on eBay. Of course, only the automatic mode no longer works. Certainly not the idealSolution, but a cheap one Alternatives, if like me you want to experiment first. And of course also suitable for those who still have old lenses at home.

Sound and video thanks to microphone shoe

To the lens, Olympus also gave me a microphone shoe with a plug-on microphone. This also makes video recordings in relatively high and stereo quality make, besides, this is optimal for interviews, where one wants to record above all the answers of the conversation partner.

This is also a plus against many compact cameras, the built-in (mono) microphone allows only limited variations in video recording.

Conclusion

In short: the camera is a robust companion for photography newcomers who like to experiment and can also be recommended with this claim. She is for sure not love at first sight, but worth pursuing.

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