Bad news for the 4/3 crowd....

Blurmore · August 23, 2006

It appears that Olympus has shot their PR wad on new releases for Photokina, and there is no replacement for the E1. After the PMA excitement about the Panasonic 4/3 camera and IS Leica Vario, the summer 4/3 rumblings have been non-exisitent. Hope for your sake it doesn't go the way of disc film and APS, but sadly that looks like where it is headed.

kini62 · August 23, 2006

Blurmore wrote:

It appears that Olympus has shot their PR wad on new releases for Photokina, and there is no replacement for the E1. After the PMA excitement about the Panasonic 4/3 camera and IS Leica Vario, the summer 4/3 rumblings have been non-exisitent. Hope for your sake it doesn't go the way of disc film and APS, but sadly that looks like where it is headed.

Not true( hopefully

). According to the latest and greatest of the rumors, Oly will not announce any 4:3 related info before September 14.

Rumors abound of at least 2 new bodies, maybe three. Although the highest end version is not expected to be a working model.

I hope they announce something good cause I really like many aspects of the system.

marlof · August 23, 2006

Yeah, according to the owner of the German Oly-e.de website, there was a NDA for the compacts ending today, and an NDA for the E-system stuff ending September 14. Since he was right on the compacts, let's up he is right too about September 14 bringing info on new E-system stuff.

Next to that, in the new LFI you can read that Leica and Panasonic are bound to do more for Four Thirds than just the L1 and the 14-50 OIS lens. Four Thirds is far from dead. If it'll be a viable option for professionals remains to be seen, since so far the consumer and advanced amateur/semi pro range is well covered for with the E-500, E-330 and L1, but the E-1 is getting long in the tooth for some people. I still enjoy using mine, but then again, I'm not a pro.

marlof · September 25, 2006

Also see my post on the commitment by Olympus, which you can find here.

Matthew Saville · September 26, 2006

marlof wrote:

Also see my post on the commitment by Olympus, which you can find here.

HI Marlof,

Personally, I'm deeply contemplating a used E-1 from KEH.com; they're falling well under $500 these days. For the world's most weather-proof DSLR body ever, a nature / adventure photographer like me could really use something like that! Also, the 11-22mm Zukio Zoom is pretty much the best focal length ever for my certain style of landscape photography. And the LENS is sealed too, not just the body. Now that's professional...

-Matt-

mr peas · September 26, 2006

Matthew Saville wrote:

HI Marlof,

Personally, I'm deeply contemplating a used E-1 from KEH.com; they're falling well under $500 these days. For the world's most weather-proof DSLR body ever, a nature / adventure photographer like me could really use something like that! Also, the 11-22mm Zukio Zoom is pretty much the best focal length ever for my certain style of landscape photography. And the LENS is sealed too, not just the body. Now that's professional...

-Matt-

Theyre great cameras, like said before, they're built like a tank. The auto-sensor cleaner is also cool gadget which Canon just added on to their newest body. Our E-1 has over 1 million shutter actuations and its still as sharp as when we first bought it. Its def a good buy if you can get it for the price you want. The only bad part maybe is the low MP count @ 5.0MP. But its enough to do some minor cropping, plus you can use the body to fight off bears in the woods when youre shooting wildlife. That always comes in handy.

marlof · September 26, 2006

Matthew Saville wrote:

Personally, I'm deeply contemplating a used E-1 from KEH.com; they're falling well under $500 these days. For the world's most weather-proof DSLR body ever, a nature / adventure photographer like me could really use something like that! Also, the 11-22mm Zukio Zoom is pretty much the best focal length ever for my certain style of landscape photography. And the LENS is sealed too, not just the body. Now that's professional...

All I can say, Matt, is that I still really like my E-1. I currently have the 11-22 (wide angle) 14-54 (walkaround) 50 (macro/portrait) 50-200 (tele) and EC-14 (1.4x teleconverter) and EX-25 (extension tube). And I'm looking forward to add the 8 fisheye to that, which would complete my collection of mid level lenses. No matter which one of those I'd add to my E-1, I will end up with a full weatherproof body. I don't think the sealing is better (or even as good) as some of the Canon pro models, but at least this one is still relatively compact (if you don't add the vertical grip), which is important to me when I hike.

Sure, at times I'd wish for more megapixels (I've seen A3 prints that looked amazing, but 5 megapixels is on the low count for landscapes with tons of tiny detail like foliage), high ISO might be better (good up to ISO 400, useable ISO 800, workable ISO 1600, and some even use ISO 3200, but for me that only works in those "grainy B&W" shots), and AF speed is not all that fast (but very, very reliable). But when I weigh the disadvantages against the fun I'm having with my camera, I'm in no rush to replace this one. But then again, I'm not a pro. Just an amateur who likes to use things that have a certain vision and quality. And I never mind walking to the beat of a different drummer.

I think the E-1 is one of those cameras (like the Nikon D2H) in which the camera is better than the sum of the components. The only hesitation I have when it comes to your purposes is the question if the E-1 would be the best choice for a nature/landscape photographer (see my comments on the pixel count). But I've seen people use it for that purpose, and they are happy with the results. If you are really interested, you might also want to check Cameta.com. Their ebay store sells new E-1s (with lens or with grip (also weathersealed)) for very good prices, with full warranty.

ziggy53 · September 26, 2006

mr peas wrote:

Theyre great cameras, like said before, they're built like a tank. The auto-sensor cleaner is also cool gadget which Canon just added on to their newest body. Our E-1 has over 1 million shutter actuations and its still as sharp as when we first bought it. Its def a good buy if you can get it for the price you want. The only bad part maybe is the low MP count @ 5.0MP. But its enough to do some minor cropping, plus you can use the body to fight off bears in the woods when youre shooting wildlife. That always comes in handy.

I don't mean to be contrary, but a million exposures is an awful lot of exposures.

The E-1 was introduced in Jun 03, so if you got one at that time, that's about 3 years and 3 months ago. Assuming 48 hour work weeks, and 50 weeks/year, I believe that adds up to 7800 hours total. Dividing 7800 hours into 1,000,000 exposures means that you shot approximately 2 frames per minute for the last 3 1/4 years. I am curious what keeps you that busy? Is this an industrial or scientific endeavor?

Another thing to cause me to wonder, Canon's best shutter mechanisms are rated for 200,000 actuations. While I have heard rumors of professional sports photographers logging 350,000 actuations on a single shutter box assembly, that is unusual. I haven't seen any official rating for the E-1, but it appears to be a conventional mechanical shutter, electronically controlled. Are Olympus shutters really that much more durable?

Inquiring minds ...

ziggy53

illuminati919 · September 26, 2006

Hahaha Ziggy, 2 frames every minute for 3 years, jeeze you know you're math.

Bob&Glennie · September 26, 2006

WE sure like our E1 and our E500. Olympus announced a 10mp E400 which at first glance doesn't look like a significant step up from the E500. I was a little dissapointed to learn that Olympus America does not intend to handle the new model. Their reason for this , which they've made public, is that they consider the E500 to be such a success that they are staying with it and E330 until a pro replacement is announced for the E1.

We are expecting a possible anouncement in October, hopfully.

Something I have difficulty understanding is "trolling" and the "vulture" mentality. There seems to be some people who are actually waiting for Olympus to shoot themselves in the foot with this 4/3 system. Obviously they aren't Olympus owners and if they are already dedicated Canon or Nikon or "whatever" owners why would Olympus and the survival of the 4/3 system be of any concern to them? Does it make their Canon or Nikon a better product if Olympus fails? How would that work? Does it make them better photographers if Olympus fails???. It's still a free country and we are all still free to make our choices. I don't see anyone on these forums trying to sell anyone else on Olympus or any other 4/3 brand but some people just seem to be so insecure that they have to wait around like vultures waiting for Oly to die. That's a pretty small attitude.

Bob

mr peas · September 26, 2006

ziggy53 wrote:

I don't mean to be contrary, but a million exposures is an awful lot of exposures.

The E-1 was introduced in Jun 03, so if you got one at that time, that's about 3 years and 3 months ago. Assuming 48 hour work weeks, and 50 weeks/year, I believe that adds up to 7800 hours total. Dividing 7800 hours into 1,000,000 exposures means that you shot approximately 2 frames per minute for the last 3 1/4 years. I am curious what keeps you that busy? Is this an industrial or scientific endeavor?

Another thing to cause me to wonder, Canon's best shutter mechanisms are rated for 200,000 actuations. While I have heard rumors of professional sports photographers logging 350,000 actuations on a single shutter box assembly, that is unusual. I haven't seen any official rating for the E-1, but it appears to be a conventional mechanical shutter, electronically controlled. Are Olympus shutters really that much more durable?

Inquiring minds ...

ziggy53

I worked @ Sears Portrait Studio (for at least the past 3-4 years until I got more serious with school and acquired another job that works well with my sechdule). We use E-1s all day long. They're accustomed to abuse, we see so many appts sometimes we wish we had more cameras to handle the traffic. At first I was a skeptic, I asked the main-office why they didn't choose a Canon set-up, but its their choice and their money. They said it was more cost effective. So far, we havent had to replace one body. Understand these studios are constantly busy. I think the reason why we dont accumulate so much dust is: a) the built-in dust remover and b) we dont change out the lens that often. But I'm not lying when I said 1 million (its probably a lot more now, I havent been back to work there for months).

I dont know about Canons about their build quality on shutters and what not, I'm sure some of you can enlighten me on if you knew anyone that had their shutters fail on them. But Japanese engeneering proves well to be the most reliable when it comes to electronics and vehicles alike.

But back to the topic, if the price is right and you dont mind it only being 5MP, then definitely buy the E-1. I would wait until the new pro camera comes out though, that would make the E-1 even more affordable.

Shay Stephens · September 27, 2006

mr peas wrote:

I dont know about Canons about their build quality on shutters and what not, I'm sure some of you can enlighten me on if you knew anyone that had their shutters fail on them.

My 20D quit after some 100k photos.

marlof · September 27, 2006

Shay Stephens wrote:

My 20D quit after some 100k photos.

That's quite impressive, since that's a lot of shutter presses for a camera not specifically advertised for pro usage. Olympus rates their only pro body, the E-1, for 150k actuations. Of course, this could be a lot more in real life, but I think if you go beyond that, you're on your own when it comes to replacing, even when you're still under warranty.

Matthew Saville · September 27, 2006

mr peas wrote:

Theyre great cameras, like said before, they're built like a tank. The auto-sensor cleaner is also cool gadget which Canon just added on to their newest body. Our E-1 has over 1 million shutter actuations and its still as sharp as when we first bought it. Its def a good buy if you can get it for the price you want. The only bad part maybe is the low MP count @ 5.0MP. But its enough to do some minor cropping, plus you can use the body to fight off bears in the woods when youre shooting wildlife. That always comes in handy.

I think I've come to terms with the "low" megapixel count. Here's my logic:

First I thought, okay if I'm going to be serious about nature photography and serious about big prints, I need a 1DsII or a Kodak 14N, right? Well, even then you're still just "playing around" compared to the REAL DEAL, which is of course large format. And spending nearly $10,000 on a DSLR that can't print nearly as large as a $650 4x5 camera is a pretty silly thing to do.

So, when I'm ready for "SERIOUS" picture taking, I'll get a 4x5 and some Velvia quickload. But for the times when I must hike long and far, or shoot action-ish stuff in horrible weather, what beter "miniature" system to use than the E system?

That's my drift so far. Sure, I own in the Nikon system pretty heavily, but what I realized is that it's essentially ALL portraiture / wedding equipment... So, what's to stop me from getting an E-1 and an 11-22 for nature work?

-Matt-

ziggy53 · September 27, 2006

mr peas wrote:

I worked @ Sears Portrait Studio (for at least the past 3-4 years until I got more serious with school and acquired another job that works well with my sechdule). We use E-1s all day long. They're accustomed to abuse, we see so many appts sometimes we wish we had more cameras to handle the traffic. At first I was a skeptic, I asked the main-office why they didn't choose a Canon set-up, but its their choice and their money. They said it was more cost effective. So far, we havent had to replace one body. Understand these studios are constantly busy. I think the reason why we dont accumulate so much dust is: a) the built-in dust remover and b) we dont change out the lens that often. But I'm not lying when I said 1 million (its probably a lot more now, I havent been back to work there for months).

I dont know about Canons about their build quality on shutters and what not, I'm sure some of you can enlighten me on if you knew anyone that had their shutters fail on them. But Japanese engeneering proves well to be the most reliable when it comes to electronics and vehicles alike.

But back to the topic, if the price is right and you dont mind it only being 5MP, then definitely buy the E-1. I would wait until the new pro camera comes out though, that would make the E-1 even more affordable.

All I can say is WOW! One million cycles is an almost unimaginable number of shots. They probably should submit the camera to testing by Olympus corporate and, if Olympus verifies the count, they (Olympus corporate) would probably trade for a new body, just so they could use the old for marketing/advertising purposes.

Olymous must have changed their US site but I just found the blurb about shutter reliability on the Australian Olympus site:

http://www.olympusimaging.com.au/e1/sizedurability/e1Body.htm

"Durable Shutter Unit Lasts Over 150,000 Releases"

Olympus says these cameras are rated to 150,000 cycles. That means a camera that cycles twice that amount is an anomaly. A camera that cycles 7 times that amount is a miracle, pure and simple.

If you don't make Sears an offer to purchase that camera, I will, providing it can be documented to the number of cycles. Just tell me where to inquire.

P.S. All of my Canon dSLRs say "made in Japan", so I'm perfectly familiar with Japanese technology.

ziggy53

JCDoss · September 27, 2006

Matthew Saville wrote:

I think I've come to terms with the "low" megapixel count.

I thought I read a post by you where you were coming to terms, so to speak, with the prospect of owning a Fuji S5?

jdc_cool · October 3, 2006

Hooray!!!!!!!! finally
Olympus has finally shown the mock-up replacement for the E-1

http://www.olympus.co.jp/en/info/2006b/if060925esyse.cfm

And she's a beauty :ivar

tspore · May 10, 2007

Hey it looks like the E system isn't dead. Just be waiting in June or July we should see some stuff on the market. The first reports the the E-410 are out, and the 510 will be here soon. As will the pro very soon.
All the reviews on the 410 I try to put links here.

Bob&Glennie · May 10, 2007

My goodness, how far back did you have to dig to find this thread? It's almost a year old! There are people who actually seem to have a morbid wish that the 4/3 system would die and I don't recommend that we provide any more ammunition for that death wish.

I'm quite content to continue enjoying my E1 and let the arguements die.

harjtt · May 12, 2007

Hi Bob

My thoughts exactly - had to recheck the dates on the OP! Well, from wat I can tell 4/3's will be around for some time to come - the new 10MP NMOS sensors from Pana seem to be very promising - very good ISO800 and more than adequate ISO1600. For now I'm more than happy with my E1 - although the DMC L1 is at some very tempting prices on ebay - including the Leica D 14-50.

Cheers

HarjTT

Bad news for the 4/3 crowd....

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