Olympus PEN E-P1
Encyclopedia
The Olympus PEN E-P1 announced on 16 June 2009 is Olympus Corporation
's first camera that adheres to the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system design standard. The first camera to use the Micro Four Thirds mount was the Panasonic's G-1
camera.
half frame
film cameras and is marketed as the Olympus digital PEN. The model presented on 16 June 2009 was very similar to the Olympus PEN F
. Initially, two lenses were available from Olympus, one 14–42 mm f/3.5–5.6 zoom and a 17 mm f/2.8 pancake
prime lens. Remarkably, with the exception of the optical viewfinder, the E-P1 seemed to fit most of the features found on the Olympus E-620
, a larger Four Thirds system DSLR, into the small, compact MFT form factor.
In addition to Micro Four Thirds lenses, Olympus offers adapters allowing the use of Four Thirds lenses, or OM Zuiko lenses originally manufactured for use on the classic OM series of film SLR cameras that Olympus was famed for years ago.
The E-P1 does not have a built-in optical or electronic viewfinder, but instead uses the large 3 inches (76.2 mm) inch color "HyperCrystal" LCD
on the back of the camera. The fixed LCD panel with anti-reflective coating presents a 100% live preview of the image as seen by the sensor. Olympus did offer an optional accessory hotshoe mounted optical viewfinder, the VF-1, that provided for a 17 mm lens angle of view
The E-P1 uses autofocuses using contrast-detection
Other features include 720P30 video recording with the ability to process the video in camera with different effects.
In an interview, Mr Akira Watanabe, SLR Planning Department Manager for Olympus Imaging, said that for a number of reasons Micro Four Thirds was developed to meet the demands of those who wanted a DSLR but without the size problems that come with one.
The 17 mm f/2.8 pancake
lens or the 14–42 mm f/3.5–5.6 zoom lens are of the Micro Four Thirds lens mount which means they are smaller than Four Thirds lenses which require an adapter to fit the Micro Four Thirds body.
Several third-party manufacturers offer adapters for lenses of virtually all single-lens reflex and rangefinder systems, plus some cinema lenses.
Olympus Corporation
is a Japan-based manufacturer of optics and reprography products. Olympus was established on 12 October 1919, initially specializing in microscope and thermometer businesses. Its global headquarters are in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, while its USA operations are based in Center Valley, Pennsylvania,...
's first camera that adheres to the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system design standard. The first camera to use the Micro Four Thirds mount was the Panasonic's G-1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 is the first digital mirrorless interchangeable lens camera adhering to the recently developed Micro Four Thirds System system design standard...
camera.
Features
The design of the camera is reminiscent of the Olympus PENOlympus Pen
The Pen series is a family of half-frame cameras made by Olympus from 1959 to the beginning of the 1980s, and from 2009. Aside from the Pen F series of half-frame SLRs, they are fixed-lens viewfinder cameras....
half frame
Half-frame camera
A half-frame camera is a camera using a film format at half the intended exposure format. A common variety is the 18x24mm format on regular 135 film. It is the normal exposure format on 35mm movie cameras...
film cameras and is marketed as the Olympus digital PEN. The model presented on 16 June 2009 was very similar to the Olympus PEN F
Olympus Pen F
The Olympus Pen F, Pen FT and Pen FV were very similar half-frame 35 mm single-lens reflex cameras with interchangeable lenses produced by Olympus of Japan between 1963-1966 , 1966-1972 and 1967-1970...
. Initially, two lenses were available from Olympus, one 14–42 mm f/3.5–5.6 zoom and a 17 mm f/2.8 pancake
Tessar
The Tessar is a famous photographic lens design conceived by physicist Paul Rudolph in 1902 while he worked at the Zeiss optical company and patented by Zeiss; the lens type is usually known as the Zeiss Tessar....
prime lens. Remarkably, with the exception of the optical viewfinder, the E-P1 seemed to fit most of the features found on the Olympus E-620
Olympus E-620
The Olympus E-620 is a Four Thirds digital single-lens reflex camera from Olympus announced February 24, 2009. It combines features of the E-420 , E-520 , and E-30 .-Features:The camera is marketed by Olympus as the world's smallest DSLR with built-in image stabilization...
, a larger Four Thirds system DSLR, into the small, compact MFT form factor.
In addition to Micro Four Thirds lenses, Olympus offers adapters allowing the use of Four Thirds lenses, or OM Zuiko lenses originally manufactured for use on the classic OM series of film SLR cameras that Olympus was famed for years ago.
The E-P1 does not have a built-in optical or electronic viewfinder, but instead uses the large 3 inches (76.2 mm) inch color "HyperCrystal" LCD
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
on the back of the camera. The fixed LCD panel with anti-reflective coating presents a 100% live preview of the image as seen by the sensor. Olympus did offer an optional accessory hotshoe mounted optical viewfinder, the VF-1, that provided for a 17 mm lens angle of view
Angle of view
In photography, angle of view describes the angular extent of a given scene that is imaged by a camera. It is used interchangeably with the more general term field of view....
The E-P1 uses autofocuses using contrast-detection
Other features include 720P30 video recording with the ability to process the video in camera with different effects.
In an interview, Mr Akira Watanabe, SLR Planning Department Manager for Olympus Imaging, said that for a number of reasons Micro Four Thirds was developed to meet the demands of those who wanted a DSLR but without the size problems that come with one.
The 17 mm f/2.8 pancake
Tessar
The Tessar is a famous photographic lens design conceived by physicist Paul Rudolph in 1902 while he worked at the Zeiss optical company and patented by Zeiss; the lens type is usually known as the Zeiss Tessar....
lens or the 14–42 mm f/3.5–5.6 zoom lens are of the Micro Four Thirds lens mount which means they are smaller than Four Thirds lenses which require an adapter to fit the Micro Four Thirds body.
Several third-party manufacturers offer adapters for lenses of virtually all single-lens reflex and rangefinder systems, plus some cinema lenses.
Micro Four Thirds Camera Introduction Roadmap
| Item | Model | Sensor | Electronic View Finder (EVF EVF EVF may refer to:*Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation*Electronic viewfinder*Erythrocyte volume fraction or hematocrit*Embryonic ventral forebrain-2... ) | Announced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 is the first digital mirrorless interchangeable lens camera adhering to the recently developed Micro Four Thirds System system design standard... |
4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.1 mp effective) | EVF; 1.4x magnification; 1.44K dots | 2008, October |
| 2 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 is a digital mirrorless interchangeable lens camera adhering to the Olympus and Panasonic developed Micro Four Thirds System system design standard... |
4:3; 3:2; 16:9 (multi-aspect); 14.0 mp (12.1 mp effect) | EVF; 1.4x mag; 1.44K dots | 2009, April |
| 3 | Olympus PEN E-P1 Olympus PEN E-P1 The Olympus PEN E-P1 announced on 16 June 2009 is Olympus Corporation's first camera that adheres to the Micro Four Thirds system design standard. The first camera to use the Micro Four Thirds mount was the Panasonic's G-1 camera.-Features:... |
4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | optional hotshoe optical VF-1; 65 degree AOV AOV -Technology, science, and medicine:* AoV or aortic velocity, the speed of blood flow in the aorta of the heart, a maximum measurement of can be noted as AoVmax or more commonly as Vmax* Air operated valve* Analysis of Variance, also known as ANOVA... |
2009, July |
| 4 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 is the third camera in Panasonic's Lumix G-series, using the Micro Four Thirds System. Its body design similar to that of the recently released Olympus E-P1, the GF1 is 35% smaller than earlier G models... |
4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.1 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF LVF1; 1.04x mag; 202K dots | 2009, September |
| 5 | Olympus PEN E-P2 Olympus PEN E-P2 The Olympus PEN E-P2 announced on 5 November 2009 is Olympus Corporation's second camera that adheres to the Micro Four Thirds system design standard... |
4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44K dots | 2009, November |
| 6 | Olympus PEN E-PL1 Olympus PEN E-PL1 The Olympus PEN E-PL1, announced on 3 February 2010 is Olympus Corporation's third camera that uses the Micro Four Thirds mount after the Olympus PEN E-P1 and Olympus PEN E-P2.... |
4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44K dots | 2010, February |
| 7 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 is the sixth digital mirrorless interchangeable lens camera introduced that adheres to the recently developed Micro Four Thirds System system design standard, and the fourth Panasonic model MFT camera introduced... |
4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.1 mp effect) | EVF; 1.04x magnification; 202K dots | 2010, March |
| 8 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 - Introduction :The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 is a digital mirrorless interchangeable lens camera adhering to the Olympus and Panasonic developed Micro Four Thirds System system design standard.... |
4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.1 mp effect) | EVF; 1.4x mag; 1.44K dots | 2010, March |
| 9 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 The Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 is a digital camera with HD video recording capability that uses the Micro Four Thirds System. Though commonly referred to as a DSLR camera, it has no mirror or optical viewfinder, but has instead both a fold-out LCD screen and a electronic viewfinder... |
4:3; 3:2; 16:9 (multi-aspect); 18.3 mp (16.0 mp effect) | EVF; 1.42x mag; 1.53K dots | 2010, September |
| 10 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2 is the sixth camera in Panasonic's Lumix G-series, using the Micro Four Thirds System. The model number implies that it is the successor to the DMC-GF1, although critics complain that the GF2 is not a true successor to the GF1 because the photographer's interface with... |
4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.1 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF; 1.04x mag; 202K dots | 2010, November |
| 11 | Olympus PEN E-PL1s | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44K dots | 2010, November |
| 12 | Olympus PEN E-PL2 Olympus PEN E-PL2 The Olympus PEN E-PL2, was announced in early January 2011 at the CES. This is Olympus Corporation's fourth camera that uses the Micro Four Thirds mount after the Olympus PEN E-P1, Olympus PEN E-P2 and Olympus PEN E-PL1. At the time it was announced, it had a US dollar MSRP of $599.99... |
4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44K dots | 2011, January |
| 13 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 is a digital mirrorless interchangeable lens camera adhering to the joint Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds System system design standard... |
4:3 / 16.6 mp (15.8 mp effect) | EVF; 1.4x mag; 1.44K dots | 2011, May |
| 14 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 is the eighth camera in Panasonic's Lumix G-series, adhering to the Micro Four Thirds System design standard, and was announced in June, 2011. The model number implies that it is the successor to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2... |
4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.1 mp effect) | N/A | 2011, June |
| 15 | Olympus PEN E-P3 Olympus PEN E-P3 The Olympus PEN E-P3 announced on June 30, 2011 is Olympus Corporation's seventh camera that adheres to the Micro Four Thirds system design standard... |
4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44K dots | 2011, June |
| 16 | Olympus PEN E-PL3 Olympus PEN E-PL3 The Olympus PEN E-PL3 announced on June 30, 2011 is Olympus Corporation's seventh camera that adheres to the Micro Four Thirds system design standard... |
4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44K dots | 2011, June |
| 17 | Olympus PEN E-PM1 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44K dots | 2011, June |