What Flash is Compatible with Olympus E-P1, please?

Talya

I actually got the E-PL1 today (built in flash), has the hot shoe thing though if I feel as though I've outgrown it (will probably be a while!!) :biggrin:

How much did you pay and what lens did you get with it? The kit of the E-PL1 with pancake lens and EVF is mind-blowingly overpriced IMO, and even the basic kit with 14-42mm lens is a little overpriced when you look at what you actually get. They're quite fun to play with though so have fun with it :biggrin:

Just watch out whenever you take the lens off because you'll be exposing the bare sensor to the elements.

Reply 21

Talya

OP

16

This:

http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/77124/show.html

:smile:

Reply 22

dd1989

11

Uuuuugh I can't even describe how jealous I am.

Nuffles they are expensive side by side with a dSLR, but IQ wise it's at least on a par with a mid entry model Canikon, just in a wonderfully small and stylish body. It's like buying a Mac really, you just become a better person for owning it, haha! But in all seriousness I see it as an investment in to an emerging image format that is going to define camera bodies for the foreseeable future.

Reply 23

Nuffles

19

dd1989

Uuuuugh I can't even describe how jealous I am.

Nuffles they are expensive side by side with a dSLR, but IQ wise it's at least on a par with a mid entry model Canikon, just in a wonderfully small and stylish body. It's like buying a Mac really, you just become a better person for owning it, haha! But in all seriousness I see it as an investment in to an emerging image format that is going to define camera bodies for the foreseeable future.

Really? I wouldn't say the built quality is that much better than a D60 or a D5000 for instance, having held and played with both, and the ergonomics leave a lot to be desired when compared to a proper DSLR. Even the Panasonic G-1 feels far too small in my hands compared to my 50D in terms of size.

Micro 4/3rds may well become more mainstream alongside SLRs but I don't think it will ever replace them. Olympus tried it before with the original half-format PEN but it never replaced the proper SLRs that were in the hands of the professionals that needed the features only offered by that size of body. Journalists liked half-format for it's small size but it never took over, much like I think there are benefits to Micro 4/3rds but I don't think it will spell the end for DSLRs, far from it. Maybe it'll only be a fad like the original.

Reply 24

dd1989

11

Digital killed the PEN the first time, Olympus didn't keep up in that respect, they stopped making SLR type products for years.

The rate at which Four Thirds cameras have improved is quite remarkable, this is a relatively new format and now that it has gone Micro it seems the sensor performance is continuing to get better all the time.

I have pretty big hands and I don't think the PEN feels too small in the hand, if you get out the mindset that it's *not* a dSLR then it becomes a little easier to digest. Eventually there will be no need for an optical view finder for example, electronic screens will become much faster and have super high res displays.

Reply 25

Nuffles

19

dd1989

Digital killed the PEN the first time, Olympus didn't keep up in that respect, they stopped making SLR type products for years.

The rate at which Four Thirds cameras have improved is quite remarkable, this is a relatively new format and now that it has gone Micro it seems the sensor performance is continuing to get better all the time.

I have pretty big hands and I don't think the PEN feels too small in the hand, if you get out the mindset that it's *not* a dSLR then it becomes a little easier to digest. Eventually there will be no need for an optical view finder for example, electronic screens will become much faster and have super high res displays.

Except that on cameras like the G-1 the screen is actually quite painfully bad to look at. The fluorescent lights at work make it crap itself and it almost always has a light blue cast that sucks all the warmth out of any scene you're looking at with it. EVFs have their advantages - low light shooting for example - but until I can look at an EVF and not actually realise that it's not an optically reflected image, I'm not interested really. If you don't want to use the EVF you end up looking like a knob peering at the screen at arms length like an American tourist (sorry Americans, but it has to be said).

Why didn't Olympus build an EVF into the EPL-1? It wouldn't have made the casing much bigger; or is it just another money making scheme so they can charge hundreds for a tiny screen that clips into the hotshoe mount making it impossible to use any flashgun or triggers?

Reply 26

dd1989

11

It's about pushing the boundaries forward, the best beta testers are the consumers, none of these things really show up as problems in Lab situations. I'd expect the next generation of PENs to have greatly improved screens, and perhaps swivel screens too.

I hardly even use my optical view finder on my dSLR...it's a legacy of film and needs to be forgotten about, I'm all about moving with the latest and greatest and forgiving the flaws.

Reply 27

Nuffles

19

dd1989

It's about pushing the boundaries forward, the best beta testers are the consumers, none of these things really show up as problems in Lab situations. I'd expect the next generation of PENs to have greatly improved screens, and perhaps swivel screens too.

I hardly even use my optical view finder on my dSLR...it's a legacy of film and needs to be forgotten about, I'm all about moving with the latest and greatest and forgiving the flaws.

You really hardly ever use the viewfinder? I almost exclusively use it unless I'm manual focusing in low light or taking a sneaky shot of one of my friend who doesn't like being photographed. If I had a split screen prism I'd really never use it and wouldn't need live view at all. I'd hate being forced to use nothing but the screen on the back. Using a viewfinder separates me from the world and that's what I need when I'm framing a shot.