Olympus have just released the new Olympus E-P1 – their first ever Micro Four Thirds format camera and the world’s smallest digital camera that is able to take interchangeable lenses.
‘It’s not a point and shoot and it’s not an SLR’ is their catch cry – so what is it?
The first thing that grabbed my attention about the Olympus E-P1 is that it’s got a very retro style (reminiscent of the Olympus Pen range of yesteryear) – but this is no retro camera. It’s got a 12.3 megapixel Live MOS image sensor (also found in their E-30 and E-620 DSLRs) and TruePic V image processor.
The E-P1 has a 3 inch LCD (230,000 pixels), live view mode for framing shots (you can get an external viewfinder as an optional extra – it mounts in the flash hot shoe), has face detection (up to 8 faces per shot), ISO of 100 to 6400, shutter speeds of 2-1/4000 (and bulb), 19 scene modes and intelligent auto mode.
The Olympus E-P1 also shoot video in HD – 30 frames per second at resolution of up to 1280×720 pixels.
The camera does not have a built in flash but you can get an external flash to fit into it’s hot-shoe.
It’s small – 4.8 x 2.8 x 1.4 inches and weighs just 11.8 ounces.
Other features include – In-body Image Stabilization, dust reduction, multiple exposures, digital leveler and a variety of in-camera creative features for manipulating both still images and video.
Lenses – this is an interchangeable lens camera and there are two to choose from when purchasing. Here’s the pricing details from Olympus (USD):
- E-P1 Body Estimated Street Price: $749.99
- E-P1 Body with ED 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens Estimated Street Price: $799.99
- E-P1 Body with ED 17mm f2.8 with optical viewfinder Estimated Street Price: $899.99
The E-P1 will be available in stores in July. Pre-order one at Amazon here (prices listed at Amazon are cheaper than those listed by Olympus).
Here’s how the Olmpus E-P1 looks with the viewfinder or flash attached.
We’ve included the official announcement of the E-P1 from Olympus below.
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