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Re: [OM] RANT: Sample images taken with EP-1

Subject: Re: [OM] RANT: Sample images taken with EP-1
From: Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:38:47 -0500
>
> Oh.  I thought you were going to come up with a list unique to
> Olympus...


Touche.  Yes, I believe that there have been inherent issues with most DSLRs
from all brands today. I may be picking on Olympus (in a way, but I'll
defend some of those same decisions from a different angle), but my thoughts
are somewhat universal to the industry as a whole.  What Olympus, Nikon,
Mamiya, Hasselblad, Minolta, Leica, Fuji, Kodak and all the rest of the
companies did was let Canon define what cameras and sensors are to be. The
Gestalt of most Canon cameras is nearly universally panned, but since they
came up with the best overall sensor/camera/AF/lens system the poor design
of the UI and overal gestalt has been adopted by nearly all companies.  For
example, It isn't any secret that CCDs outperform CMOS in nearly every
metric but noise, but since Canon set the rules on noise, everybody had to
go to CMOS to compete in the minds of public opinion.  For we all know that
CMOS chips are all quieter than CCD chips!  CMOS=Good, CCD=Bad.



> and if you were going to trash the E-1 as the representative
> of the whole E-system, you could have included the size of the LCD and
> the limited replay modes.
>

No, that's why I kept my list of ten generic to 4/3 cameras entirely.  The
AF of the 4/3 cameras has kept getting better, but "world-class" is pushing
it.  Pick up a D3 and it's obvious that the "world's fastest AF" in the E-3
doesn't necessarily match fastest with best.  I fully recognize that my
E-1's AF is laughable, but at the same time, I also specifically mentioned
comparing an E-body with the specific contemporaries it competed with at the
time it was new.  But as has been proven with the 1Dmk3, every company can
have a camera that blows chunks--not just Olympus.


It does.  It says that you are commenting on an extended system from a
> limited exposure to it.
>

Only somewhat true.  I actually have used other cameras, both Olympus and
C/N a bit.  I've honestly kept quiet about the C/N encounters because I
don't want to give Moose and Chuck the pleasure of gloating.  :)  As to
dinky viewfinders, I challenge anybody to give an honest defence of the
viewfinders in the E-5xx series.


Everything tends to suggest to me that Olympus went its own way.  My
> impression is that most of the folks that went elsewhere after the OM
> era had wished Olympus had been more like C & N and that it was
> precisely because they weren't that they were frustrated with Olympus'
> pace to market, pixel flatus, slow AF, ISO noise.  Had they selected
> 4/3 to imitate C & N, you'd be right to say they'd lost their way.
> Lost their minds is what I'd say.
>

I'd be hard pressed to ever give up my E-1. There are some real innovative
features of that camera which Olympus has itself abandoned for whatever
reason. Instead of giving an honest assessment as to why a camera was a
marketing failure, they threw the whole thing out and essentially started
over again. So, out went the phenominal grip, the ultra-quiet shutter, the
in-camera AF assist and locking CF door...



> No quarrels.  I think that OM rarely enjoyed the "gotta have that"
> moments...


Agreed, because it competed head-to-head in an existing and competitive
product category. What is so exciting to me about the E-P1 is that it
actually offers something that does not exist at all and is also able to
fill a specific niche which could very well become THE product of the
decade. Trust me, I am very excited about the E-P1 and future m43 cameras.
This has much less to do with the Pen heritage than what it offers as the
"widget" we all buy.  Yes, even me.

My rants on the e-system are well known and documented. As much as I love
Olympus cameras, I can skewer said cameras just as hard. I bought the E-1
because of the availability of the adaptor and the fact it had a good
track-record on reliability.  Only later did I discover how much I loved the
camera for its other traits--traits that I get skewered from others on as
being either "not important" or "I can do that in Photoshop". It takes b*lls
to shoot Olympus.

I won't rant on the e-system in an effort to build up the E-P1 or m43. No
need to. These are distinctly different systems with distinctly different
purposes, yet sharing ALL of the most important things. (mostly).  There are
things about the E-P1 that have me quite excited about the future E-system
flagship model as it should incorporate all that is best (in my opinion)
about the E-P1 with all that is best about a full-featured E-beast.

My hissy-fit here is strictly between friends.  The op-ed piece, however,
will not be a shill advertisement for Olympus.

AG
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