Digital SLR Reviews Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Camera Body’

Pentax D LI50 Li Ion Rechargeable Battery for Pentax K10D and K20D Digital SLR Cameras

Battery allows approximately 500 shots per charge under normal conditions / For use with Pentax K10D DSLR camera body

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars So far so good.
I am very happy to have a second power source. Plus I am happy to get the manufacturer brand for such a good price. My local store wanted almost twice the price. I also got it in 3 days. Wow!

5 Stars battery
Great response from this company. I received this item well before the ship date stated.

5 Stars Great long lasting battery.
I got the extra battery for my BG2 battery grip on the K20D.

My wife and I take alot of pictures and with the 2 batteries being used at the same time (alternating through the pictures) these batteries seem to last forever.

5 Stars Long lasting, reliable
I bought two, but have only used one, since the battery life is very long on the K20D. (More than double what I got on the Lithiums for my *istD). It also holds a full charge for months.

5 Stars No more Out of batery messages
I haven’t had any low battery warning since I got the battery grip, I’m glad of using this original battery on my camera! ecomended to anyone!

Buy/More Info

Panasonic Lumix DMC G1 12 1MP Digital SLR Camera with Lumix G Vario 14 45 mm f 3 5 5 6 ASPH Mega OIS Lens Black

The Panasonic Lumix G1 is the world’s first camera to employ the new Micro Four Thirds System standard. Together with an innovative mirror-less structure that also dramatically downsizes the camera body, the LUMIX G Micro System achieves a dramatic portability and ease of use by an adoption of electronic Full-time Live View Finder instead of conventional optical viewfinder. Despite the G1’s ultra-compact design, it comes fully equipped with features that assure outstanding ease of use, made possible by the contrast AF system. The G1 also boasts iA (Intelligent Auto) mode, a feature that took the world by storm in Lumix digital compact cameras. iA mode brings together a full range of functions – led by AF Tracking , Face Detection, Intelligent ISO Control and Intelligent Exposure – that together let users take strikingly beautiful photos with maximum ease every time they shoot. The G1 breaks new ground in styling too, overturning SLR camera conventions by giving users a variety of body colors to choose from. For people who have been hesitant about moving up to an SLR camera, the G1 is a perfect fit. It is a small, sophisticated, easy-to-use camera that will greatly expand any user’s photographic capabilities.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great travel camera
Before I go on I should mention I also have a Nikon d700 which is a pretty fancy camera costing about five times as much as the G1 if you include appropriate lenses. When compared to the d700 you can see the G1 doesnt have the same sort of brick like construction quality, it is much more plasticy and doesnt have as many controls to hand. The upside of this is that its about 1/2 of the weight of the d700 with lens and in fact a large part of my decision to buy the G1 was because of its small size.

When I compared it to cameras at the more compact end such as the “super zooms” I found the G1 had a physically larger sensor and better picture quality. There was also a real lens up front with ability to change lenses. Also, superior access to deeper parameters like ISO, white balance, focus and exposure modes easily. The downside here is the G1 costs a bit more than similar “super zoom”, though I am amazed at the differences in prices sellers are asking for it. I paid about 20% more than my girlfriends top of the range compact which I felt was worth it.

So I wanted something much lighter than my d700 but still with lots of ability to fiddle with parameters. I have not been disappointed in this camera, its great fun to use. Setting of most functions require only one or two button presses and scroll of the wheel. I love the small size and reduced weight. Although the electronic viewfinder sacrifices some naturalness you get used to it pretty quick and it has the ability to do things you cant with a SLR viewfinder. These include ability to preview the effects of changes to aperture and shutter speed which is great for lower light shooting. You can also see how much image blurring will occur with slower shutter speeds, and also preview depth of field. When travelling in dodgy places I also feel less self conscious pulling this camera out in public, and feel less likely to get mugged!

Ive noticed some reviewers have marked this camera down as being too complex and I feel this is not a fault of the camera. It would be different if the camera were poorly laid out but its not, one button press will give you access to a whole range of parameters, its hard to fault. Little things are annoying like when you want to delete a photo you have to press the delete button then press a scroll right button to choose ‘yes” and then press a “menu set” button to confirm. So thats 3 different buttons. On my d700 you just press the delete button, get asked OK? and then press again. Much less finger moving around. These little details are what distinguish higher end cameras but this is a minor quibble.

More obscure parameters need more button pressing but this camera is no worse than even the d700. If you are not interested in learning about what goes into a photograph then I would agree the ability to tweak settings will be unnecessary and intimidating and you would be better off with a more preset oriented camera. Then again, the G1 has about 8 scene presets, so at minimum you can just point and shoot. This is good when you want to hand your camera over to a non-camera friendly stranger or friend to use without baffling them.

To sum up, this camera was a compromise for me between the high end picture quality of my d700 and the need for something more lightweight, compact and less obtrusive, but still with enough sophistication to allow tweaking and user input into the photo.

5 Stars A near perfect mix of portability and image quality
I’ve had my G1 for three months, and there isn’t much I can add to the other 5-star reviews. It’s a very solid camera that is easy to carry and easy to use. It takes great pictures. It has three excellent kit lenses to choose from, and it can use hundreds of great lenses from the days of film that are now very inexpensive and easily available.

I have both kit zooms and 3 legacy primes. I’m particularly impressed by the performance of the zooms, which are both exceptionally good for such moderately priced lenses.

All in all, I highly recommend this camera (or its sibling, the GH1, if you need video) to anyone who is moving up from a fixed lens camera and to anyone who is tired of lugging the weight of a full frame dSLR around.

One note: I’ve noticed that several reviewers cited poor high-ISO performance as a drawback. While literally true – a less than full frame sensor is at a technical disadvantage with respect to noise – I’ve found that this is much less of a problem than I expected. Part of the reason is that Panasonic took a deliberately conservative approach to setting ISO levels, unlike Canon, Olympus, and others who have exaggerated their ISO numbers. For this reason, a G1 image shot at what Panny calls “ISO 800″ is essentially identical in exposure to what many dSLRs produce when set at what those other companies call “ISO 1600.” The amount of light hitting the sensor is the same in both cases, and therefore the amount of noise is quite similar.

Thus it is important to compare the noise in an ISO 800 shot from the G1 with the noise from most other popular cameras set at 1600, and so on at every other ISO increment. (Certain Nikons are an exception, as they are closer to the Panasonic definitions of ISO than the inflated Canon/Olympus definition.)

After all, it’s the actual exposure settings that matter, not the labels the camera makers put on the ISO. If two cameras shoot the same scene with the same aperture and the same shutter speed, the two exposures will be the same. It doesn’t matter that one camera is set at ISO 200 and the other is set at ISO 400, the amount of light reaching both sensors is the same.

What this means in practical terms is that the G-1’s TRUE low light performance is one full stop better than most people expect if they just go by the ISO settings.

5 Stars Panasonic Lumix G1 Review
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 12.1MP Digital Camera with Lumix G Vario 14-45 mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH Mega OIS Lens (Blue) is certainly small. Its a very handy Camera to travel around with.

The picture quality is good..

Rarely are photos taken in ISO 800.. after which the noise starts creeping in.

The Live View Finder is superb. Though at low light.. it is almost unusable..

I am happy with the purchase.

5 Stars Lumix G1 a great camera for dads
I am a photography novice, my experience with cameras is mostly confined to chasing my two kids around with a point and shoot. I was accustomed to getting blurry, noisy, and dark pictures of my family with my Canon PowerShot. I made a list of the things I wanted in a new family camera.

1. Great image quality! Not good, not fair, but great image quality indoors as well as outdoors.

2. Relatively compact size. I was looking very seriously at the Canon PowerShot SX1IS, and the PowerShot G10

3. Ease of use. I don’t have time to fiddle with settings and take six exposures of the same scene to get a good shot.

4. Speed. My kids can’t hold still, its like an invisible gnome is following them around with a cattle prod.

5. Price. I can’t afford the moon. I needed to keep this purchase well under $1000.

I have had the Lumix G1 for about a month now, and I LOVE it. It fits all 5 of my requirements nicely.

1. The G1 takes great pictures. I have tried it outdoors and indoors, I am very happy with the results.

2. I was a little worried about its size at first, but in comparison with a full size SLR, the G1 is tiny.

3. I can hand this camera to my wife, leave the camera on iauto and she is fine using it.

4. I can actually focus on my kids now. I take this camera to the park all the time and get great shots.

5. The street price is about $650 for this camera. Well within my budget.

Particular features I like:

1. Grip. This camera is easy to hold for me and my giant hands. Its small for an SLR, but not so small that I might accidentally swallow it or something either. Its very easy to carry around. It also has a rubbery coating on the body which gives it a nice sheen, as well as added grip.

2. The swing-out LCD viewfinder. Makes taking shots from low angles really easy. I also like that the camera knows when I am looking through the eye piece and turns the LCD off.

3. The intelligent auto feature detects when a face is present, or when a subject is moving and adjusts settings for you–fast.

4. The interface is easy to get around in. I can actually switch settings on this camera without a degree in engineering.

5. My wife isn’t put off by it. She feels very comfortable picking it up and taking pictures with it.

In the end, this camera takes great shots. It is easy to learn, and very easy to carry around. I would recommend it to any dad who is looking for SLR quality pictures without the bulk and complication of use those kinds of cameras generally offer.

5 Stars excellent camera
Ijust can’t stop loving it. The functionalities and the look are just so facinating. If I were to buy a camera again, I will surely go for it.

Buy/More Info

Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21 1MP Full Frame CMOS Digital SLR Camera Body Only

Compact, lightweight with environmental protection, EOS 5D successor boasts a newly-designed Canon CMOS sensor, with ISO sensitivity up to 25,600 for shooting in near dark conditions. The new DIGIC 4 processor combines with the improved CMOS sensor to deliver medium format territory image quality at 3.9 frames per second, for up to 310 frames. Triggered from Live View Mode, HD video capture allows users to shoot uninterrupted at full 1080 resolution at 30fps — for amazing quality footage with outstanding levels of detail and realism. The integration of HD movie capability into a high-end 21.1-megapixel camera opens a multitude of new possibilities for photojournalists and news photographers. With its full frame CMOS sensor and outstanding ISO performance, the EOS 5D Mark II will appeal to any photographer in search of the finest camera equipment available — from studio and wedding to nature and travel photographers.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Good Image, Poor Construction
I have been using this camera for 5 months with about 10000 shots. To canon’s credit, the images quality are excellent, so is the video. However, the huge pet peeve is the cheap memory card door. In order to hold this heavy camera, your palm will press firmly agaist the back of the handgrip, where the memory card door is located. This flimsy plastic door generates non-stop noise because of the pressure. This is particularly harmful when shooting video of concerts etc, as the noise gets amplified in the sound track. Extremely annoying in video play back. Can’t Canon make a better card door for this $2700 camera?

The other problem is several hot pixels when shooting video. Before I sent back the camera for service, I searched the internet and found a solution (now I forgot how, but it’s searchable with keywords). It works fine now. I didn’t bother to send it back.

5 Stars best high ISO camera EVER!
i am constantly amazed by the pictures i get from this camera. i love the extra width i get from full frame as well as the extra shallow depth of field. i’m a wedding/portrait photographer and this camera is beyond amazing for what i do.

if you shoot high ISO, you can’t beat this camera at the moment. i shoot ISO 6400 like it’s ISO 1600, it is that clean. and ISO 3200 is the new ISO 800 for me, i don’t even hesitate. i will not go above ISO 6400 though as you’ll start to see banding.

the lcd has me spoiled, so much so that i’m selling my 40d so that i can either get a 50d or the new 7d. on the 40d all of the pictures just look blah…and blurry. they still turn out good on the computer, but it can be very frustrating at the time. on the 5d II, you can tell right away if you’ve misfocused or if your exposure is off.

video quality is amazing though i don’t really use it for that.

autofocus is better than people like to give it credit for. i shoot mainly dimly lit receptions and it locks perfect whenever i need it to. i’m talking ISO 6400 f/1.6 1/30s dim. also i have no problem using outer focus points as they work great as well.

manual focus is a cinch with the 5d II. if you put the camera in live view, move the small box over what you want to focus on, then push the zoom button twice to see that box at pixel level. focus the lens and shoot away.

lenses used are 35mm f/1.4L, 85mm f/1.8, 16-35mm f/2.8L I, and 70-200mm f/2.8L IS.

if you need high ISO and want full frame, this is the camera for you. if you don’t need either, save some money and get the 50d or 7d…or even a used 40d.

2 Stars Sub-par body & features
Great sensor & image quality. However, the camera lacks many features one would expect from a $2700 camera:

* Auto-focus points are poorly placed (focus and recompose doesn’t work well due to shallow depth of field).

* The CF card door creaks & is flimsy—this affects the grip; I can’t attach a heavy lens (24-70L) and hold the camera comfortably. This problem is very common and well documented (do a web search).

* Outer auto-focus points hunt quite a bit. The camera feels non-responsive when using outer AF points (I’m coming from 40D).

* The camera is quite heavy; I don’t see why it should be given the poor construction. Weight becomes a problem especially with heavier lenses (24-70L and 85 f/1.2L), where you get blurry shots more frequently (again, compared to 40D).

* Lack of pop-up flash is bothering (although I have an external unit); If Nikon can do it, why can’t Canon?

* Lack of auto-focus during video recording. Expect to get a lot of out of focus videos if you shoot family & kids. No 720p option. The video files are huge (~1 gig for 3-4 mins of video).

3 Stars This is a B – Camera
I am happy with the 5D mark 11. But I have on going issues. The screen decides to shut off by it’s self when reviewing photos. It has frozen and then shuts off.This is when I am using the camera. I hate the idea of a video in the camera. Canon should have focused on the camera and not at all on video. I have all Canon due to investing in lens. Unsure if Nikon is better. My partner uses Nikon D3. He loves it. And craps on mine all the time. But over all Canon should have did more testing and spent more time and money on this Camera. And forget a video. Over all I would say it’s a B- camera. I hate to say I like and trust my 50D more. I took the 50D to Argentina. It had no issues at over 10,000 shots and nearly a month from cold to jungles. But of course the 50D has major disadvantages over the 5D. Maybe step up to 1D……………..that’s a big jump.

5 Stars Love it!
Bought the 5d Mark II earlier this year. I’m a non-professional and first time full frame user. I’ve used a variety of cameras but not Nikon or Canon. I’ve EF lenses and have been using the camera for portraiture and scenic, in city, country, during winter and summer and am thrilled with the results (the enlargements are great). The movie function wasn’t an issue for me as, although I’ve tried it with good results, I could’ve done without it. It’s a little on the heavy side with the distance lenses which took a bit of getting accustomed to. No comment on price as, in my opinion, you often get what you pay for and I’m totally pleased. I work a lot in manual but I’ve not had any problem with the autofocus either. However, I did find it a little complicated at first – my problem not the mark II’s.

Buy/More Info

Canon EOS 50D 15 1MP Digital SLR Camera Body Only

Canons new EOS 50D bridges the gap between the novice and the seasoned pro with a perfect combination of high-speed and quality. It features an APS-C sized 15.1-megapixel CMOS sensor for tremendous images, new DIGIC 4 Image Processor for fine detail and superior color reproduction, and improved ISO capabilities up to 12800 for uncompromised shooting even in the dimmest situations. It features a refined 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots) monitor, supercharged Live View Function with Face Detection Live mode, plus a number of new automatic Image Correction settings and HDMI output for viewing images on an HDTV. Pick up the EOS 50D and youll experience true digital inspiration!

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars How to make your wife happy.
I don’t know much about photography so you may want to pan this review but my wife loves taking pictures. Her rebel was acting up so we bought this beauty. Although a little costly it was worth it to see how excited my wife was when she got it.

5 Stars I love this camera.
I had dreamt of buying a good digital camera for a long time. I had been shooting films until now since I could not afford a digital camera that produced the quality I desired.

In short, this camera is worth every penny (in my opinion of course). I totally fell in love with it the day I received it. The picture quality is awesome. The pictures are both sharp and the colors are spectacular. It has all kind of great features but what matters most for me is the picture quality. I already have one of my pictures taken on this camera displayed on a wall in the living room, it is 5.2 feet wide and even despite of the size, the picture quality is good.

2 Stars You get what you pay for
I have a Canon 1DIII, and was looking for a more compact second body. I was not happy with the prospect of either the 50D or 5DII but decided to give the 50D a try first. It’s not that it’s such a bad camera, it’s just leagues away from the 1 series, and in my opinion, leagues away from the Nikon D300. Why do I say this?

First, it’s not at all weatherized, which does matter to me as I do mostly outdoor shooting, and there are competing products from Nikon, Pentax, Sony, that are pretty well weatherproof.

Second, the viewfinder is small and dark, and there’s only 9 AF points, compared to 50 something in the Nikon D300, and at least 11 in most other cameras. I don’t need 50 points, but the little rhomboid pattern in the Canon amateur and prosumer lines is really sub-par for the industry.

Third, there’s more pixels, but then there’s also more noise, and fewer pixels would have been just fine, along with less noise. What good does ISO 12800 do, when the pic is unusable?

In summary, Canon has been resting on their laurels, made mainly cosmetic improvements in each iteration since their 20D came out, and I sold the camera a month after I bought it at a substantial loss on ebay. Good riddance, money can be recouped.

5 Stars Completely Satisfied
The Canon 50D is great. I added the Tamron AF18-270mmm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical [IF} Macro (Model Bo003) lens from Amazon to this camera and I am extremely satisfied with their performance together. The quality of my pictures with the new camera and len are significant. I was using a Canon Rebel Xt with a Tamron 18-200 lens.

5 Stars New Amazing Product for Best Available Price
Bought for my wife’s Birthday (professional photographer), she loves it over the overpriced, under performing, Nikon that she was using in her 1 year professional photography program. Camera, lens and all accessories are high quality and in perfect condition, never been out of box, packaged excellently and arrived almost 2 weeks before the beginning of the estimated shipping time frame. Amazing deal especially considering that I had to cancel my order from a mainstream photography equipment company who said it was out of stock for over 2 months, and is now charging almost $400 more than Amazon.com for the same exact thing, even though it still says out-of-stock.

Buy/More Info

Olympus PEN E P1 12 3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14 42mm f 3 5 5 6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens Silver Body Black Lens

The new PEN offers groundbreaking technology to a whole new generation of users – users that have active lifestyles both online and off. They shoot pictures and videos, like to download, upload and share their lives. The E-P1 offers it all. It’s the world’s smallest 12.3-megapixel interchangeable-lens camera, provides superior optics, interchangeable lenses and multimedia capabilities – and combines the creative freedom of a digital SLR with the simple controls and small size of a point-and-shoot. It uses a 12.3-megapixel high speed Live MOS Sensor and the newly developed TruePic V image-processing engine to capture high resolution images, exquisite detail and accurate color with low noise. With three modes of image stabilization built right into the camera body, the E-P1 compensates for camera shake in any direction, and with any lens. Olympus’ proven Dust Reduction System ensures spot-free photos – no retouching required – with the exclusive Supersonic Wave Filter. With high-sensitivity shooting at ISO 6400, the E-P1 takes brighter, clearer shots in low-light situations. It has 6 Art Filters to apply to pictures and movies. It shoots HD-quality movies, too. With its abilities and stylish design, the photographic possibilities are endless. Lens Mount – Micro Four Thirds Mount Recording Format – DCF, DPOF/Exif, Print Image Matching III File Format – RAW, JPEG, RAW+JPEG Recording Image Size – (RAW) 4032×3024 pixels; (JPEG) 4032×3024 pixels – 640×480 pixels Recording Movie Format – AVI Motion JPEG (30fps) Movie Mode – HD – 1280(H)x720(V) Aspect 16 – 9; SD – 640(H)x480(V) Aspect 4 – 3 (VGA) TruePic V image-processing engine are the same as used in all the Olympus E-System DSLRs In-Body Image Stabilization & Dust Reduction System Bring style to your photos with 6 Art Filters – Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Color, Light Tone, Grainy Film, Pin Hole Create Multiple Expsosure & shoot in Multi

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars This camera is something DIFFERENT and SPECIAL
I was one of the first ones to pre-order the E-P1 maybe one of the few who was able to get it in white. I was not going to write a review because I saw so many other well written reviews I thought I could not add much. What has prompted me to write a review here is that the Panasonic GF1 seems to be getting all raves from owners while the E-P1 seems to be getting bashed too much. I have no stake or purpose to Olympus, matter of fact this is the first Oly I have owned in over 6 years. I HAVE owned the Panasonic LX3, the TZ5 and an older super zoom Pany. The LX3 drove me nuts with the distortion from it’s so called amazing lens, The HORRIBLE inaccurate colors from it’s lcd, matter of fact every Panasonic I have owned(3) have suffered from very noisy pictures..ugly yellow zig/zag smearing you can see at usually at 400 ISO or higher. I have never gotten natural looking skin tones from any Pany I ever owned..even in raw.. So why am I writing about the E-P1? yet so far saying nothing..just seem to be bashing Panasonic? BECAUSE though I don’t own the GF1 I have read on many different discussion boards that though the GF1 has twice the resolution of the E-P1′S lcd it does not look any better than the E-P1′S lcd..in I have read that E-P1’s LCD is easier to view outdoors. I have read the GF1 has some trouble with jpegs on a few colors..I saw samples of the GF1 vs E-P1 on Imaging resource..you will again see Panasonic still has that yellow smearing at slightly high ISO. It has been written the GF1 is really mostly useable to about 800 ISO. I have taken several pics with the E-P1 at 1200 even 1600 ISO and they look VERY clean if there is just a bit of light. The GF1 is $100 more than the E-P1 why?? You are paying $100 more for a tiny flash and NO in body image stabilization, a huge plus for the E-P1 I actually like that you can get the E-P1′S external flash for the same same $100 and it’s WAY better than the tiny flip up flash on the GF1.

If you want to choose the 14-45mm lens The E-P1’s retractable design is ingenious, I guess it will be about 1/3rd to 1/2 has large as the GF1′S lens once you retract the e-p1’s lens. This is a HUGE difference, as many are buying these micro “4/3 cameras for the smaller size.” With a huge lens sticking out..you might as well carry a Nikon D40 as it’s not night and day heavier or twice as large as either the Olympus or Panasonic.

As to auto focus speed The E-P1 is plenty FAST. I own the Nikon D90, in live mode the D90 has to be 10 times SLOWER than the E-P1′S focusing speed… The E-P1’s colors look “AMAZING” super accurate, scary accurate. I have never seen accurate colors coming from any Panasonic I have owned.

It’s true the E-P1′S menu can be a little confusing, or more that there seems to be many sub menus you may not even know about till you really GET INTO using this camera. I suppose for a point and shoot shooter the GF1 may indeed be better…Pany does have a great intelligent auto mode..But if you want to be creative..the E-P1 gives you so so many options to tweak just about everything.

To sum up I am not saying the E-P1 is perfect or really BETTER than a GF1..But it’s darn GREAT…has a “special thing about it”, that makes you WANT to use/play with it. I do hope one day soon they can fit a micro 4/3 sensor etc..into a true point and shoot body. Till then especially with the 14-45mm lens the E-P1 will be much smaller than the GF1. To GF1 readers who are going to bash me for writing about a camera I don’t own..I agree with you!,?? I can only base my facts and or opinions on previous Panasonic cameras I have owned, that have disappointed me plus all the research I have done on the GF1 on serious discussion boards from GF1 users, and reading thru some pro reviews. Actually I wrote this more to say what a wonderful SPECIAL “DIFFERENT” camera the E-P1 is vs just about any other camera out there.

4 Stars Olympus E-P1
Excellent camera, loved the sensor and picture quality. Major nitpick was the manual. They cover so little on the controls and how to do certain things. Had to call Olympus tech help just to figure out two different controls. Finally after 4 weeks, gave up on it though. Could not get used to the big screen. Kept hoping for viewfinder. Tried the 17mm viewfinder but could not be of any help with the zoom lens. And could never find a way to turn off the screen. Just shipped it off today to another buyer. My loss their gain.

3 Stars Had it for 3 weeks, just took the first adequate pictures
The low ease-of-use score relates to a really terrible manual. Major basic steps are left out, leaving the user unable to figure out how to access important menu areas. Symbols in the menu are arcane and trying to go between modes to make changes in menus non-intuitive. I had to make 6-7 phone calls to Olympus in the first two weeks, after which I got the first photo that could be enlarged to the max in iPhoto with acceptable clarity. Online support from Olympus is pathetic; they lose original emails. The poor display score doesn’t refer to ease of seeing the image in the LCD display – it’s ok – but rather to using the display menus, which are far too busy and change/blank out within a few seconds.

1 Star Incompatible with Mac OS 10.6.1
There is no way to use images from the is camera on a Mac OS 10.6.1 out of the box, so be warned. I have a tech support inquiry into Olympus for any fixes before I return the camera so I’m reviewing based upon the out-of-box experience. (They take up to 48 hours for response and I’ll update this review with the reply).

The problem is that the camera images cannot be imported into iPhoto (the RAW format they use, ORF, is a proprietary one) and the Olympus Master 2 (the software they provide and recommend quits (on both of my computers) upon starting the import process, even though I have the latest software.

Therefore the PEN is not usable to me, no matter how good the camera. I would expect that there would be upfront fixes for these issues posted at Olympus and that these issues would be fully disclosed here at Amazon on the listing, which they are not. Mac users be warned. Olympus’ support provides no acknowledgement that Apple’s OS even goes beyond 10.4. If I get a usable fix I’ll add it here and update my review. Hopefully there will be one and I won’t have to return what looks to be a gorgeous camera with great build. For now, zero stars.

5 Stars Olympus EP-1 is great
It’s a great camera!

The onlly thing missing would be an external flash for free…

Anyway, you can balance colours by adjusting time of expositure, ISO and F.

I recomend it!

Buy/More Info