CDAF focusing speed, LCD, gotchas.
Monday, June 22, 2009 at 10:47PM Please provide definitive answers to the following questions to assure your place in heaven...
1. Is the AF focus speed noticeably slow either in good light and in poor light, and is there any difference between the two lenses in that regard?
>>> The CDAF is very accurate - as the light drops, the focusing slows down a little... but it doesn't hunt back and forth to eventually fail where PDAF would do.
2. How usable is the LCD in bright daylight?
>>> Pretty good. It's a very bright, fast refresh screen.
3. Is the 230K LCD too coarse for accurate MF focus in good light?
>>> definitely not. MF is possible, even without zooming into the 10x live view magnification in most situations - the screen sometimes has a critical focus 'glimmer' when focusing on something like cloth with a fine texture.
4. In what respects can previous E live view SLR owners judge the E-P1's LCD usability based on their own camera's LCD?
>>> This is the best visibility LCD yet - just not super high resolution.
5. Is the E-P1's shutter sound any different in quality or loudness from the G1's?
>>> The G1 seems to have a two stage shutter action... the E-P1 does not. There's actually not a lot of difference in the volume of either... but the E-P1 seems to just have one click, whereas the G1 has two.
6. Are there any other gotcha's that would interfere with using this camera for street/candids/decisive-moment?
>>> I've been shooting and playing with the controls fairly intensively today - the first gotcha is that you *need* to have at least one spare battery if you're out all day. I would take two, just in case.
Of course, you'd never have thunk any of the above questions on your own ;) If you had some adapters, there would be a whole raft of further questions about using 35mm primes, so consider you've been let off easy.. ;)
>>> Post your comments below - I've got the Panasonic 4/3rds adapter and a selection of Hexanon legacy lenses.
June 22, 2009 | 
Dale Cotton
Reader Comments (4)
>>> Post your comments below - I've got the Panasonic 4/3rds adapter and a selection of Hexanon legacy lenses
First: thanks awfully for the above. I'm especially glad to hear the screen has the extra visibility oomph: this should significantly help to reduce all the whinging about the lack of a finder, so don't forget to post that fact on the dpreview forum in your spare time. ;)
My main question re the legacy lenses is simple: since you're limited to manual focus, how practical is the E-P1's implementation. One report said you have to go through a longish sequence of button and menu clicks to get the job done via the zoom-in mag., which would be a show-stopper. Also: I would assume one can use the distance scale on the lens for hyperfocal or zone focusing, which would be esp. useful when working with a hot-shoe finder. Finally: for the record if you could verify there's no on-screen distance scale option for manual focus, as there is on my LX1, I'd appreciate it.
J.D. Hodges: thanks loads for the sound links. The one I had was Four Thirds Photo, which usefully compares the E-P1 to the E-30 and E-420, but the recording quality doesn't hold a candle to either of the ones you provide. May I credit you as the source on my (E-P1 reference page)?
Bizarre idea for Brian: take the EP-1 in front of a mirror to shoot a video that includes the camera itself. I've only just discovered this video review idea while researching the EP-1. It seems a great way to convey interface and usability information, and from what I've seen the E-P1's video is really crisp.
Great site and full of interesting info (not just of the EP-1 : P)
I'm curious since I'm also seeing the EP-1 as a potential 'budget' rangefinder. I can do without an OVF as long as the controls and responsiveness of the camera are good, much like how I really enjoy my GRDII.
That being said, I was wondering, if you could try one of your hexanon lenses with the m4/3s adaptor and try shooting indoors in lower light situations, could you then share your experience on how it was like to manual focus? As I understand, many LCDs don't really do that well in a low light situation.
Hence would rudimentary focusing via the LCD be possible in lower light situations or would it be more practical to use the distance scale as an estimate?
Many thanks!
Hi Ed, see my comment here. I'll post a diary entry on legacy lens shooting soon.
Cheers
Brian
Hi Brian,
Thanks! Its great seeing how you are giving this camera a real field test based on what a lot of the enthusiasts are looking out for. This sure beats the endless speculation/griping on some popular forums.
Looking forward to your entry on using MF lenses! I'm thinking that the super small CV Color Skopars would be a really nice fit for the EP-1. I have a 35/2.5 Skopar that I'd really like to try out on this camera!