Olympus E-P1 Twin Lens kit and Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4

About a month ago, I had a play with the Sony NEX 3 and NEX 5 (see here), I was surely impressed by its compactness and high ISO performance. From the set of high ISO images taken, I would say the images are useable up to about ISO1600, which is same to most entry level DSLR. This is as expected since the sensor size is of APS-C type common to most DX cameras. What the NEXs disappoint is the lack of dedicated buttons at the back which means a lot of the settings need to go through the menu system.

The Olympus EP-1 didn’t have this problem but since it is a micro four third, its high ISO performance is not as good. However it is still an amazing compact camera given that its price has significantly reduced due to the newer version E-P2 and  E-PL1. The Olympus E-P1 twin lens kit comes with the pancake lens 17mm f/2.8 and 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6.

The Olympus M.Zuiko pancake 17mm f/2.8 (right) is very light, weighting only 71g with a dimension of 57mm x 22mm. The AF uses a conventional micro motor which from my hand on experience is adequate. For MF, just grab the focus ring and the camera will automatically zoom in to 100% for you to focus precisely.

Specifications
equiv. focal length (full format)	34mm
equiv. aperture (depth-of-field)	f/2.8
Optical construction	6 elements in 4 groups inc. 1x aspherical element
Number of aperture blades	5 (circular)
min. focus distance	0.2m (max. magnification ratio 1:9)
Dimensions	22x57mm
Weight	71g
Filter size	37mm (non-rotating)

The other lens comes in the kit is the more standard 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 (left) which was released in 2006. This lens equates to a standard zoom of 28-84mm which is suitable as a walk around lens.

Specifications
equiv. focal length (full format)	28-84mm
equiv. aperture (depth-of-field)	f/3.5-5.6
Optical construction	106 elements in 8 groups inc. 1x Aspherical element and 1 ED element
Number of aperture blades	7 (circular)
min. focus distance	0.25m (max. magnification ratio 0.19x)
Dimensions	65.5x61mm
Weight	190g
Filter size	58mm (non-rotating)

 

Here, I won’t try to do a review here since there should be many reviews over the net on this 1 year old camera (see dpreview). Instead what’s interesting is using the E-P1 with the Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4 via a m4/3 adaptor. Note the Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4 becomes a MF on the E-P1

First let’s see some Voigtlander collection.

Olympus E-P1 Twin Lens kit, VF-1 viewfinder and Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4

The awesome Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4 on Olympus E-P1 via the m4/3 adaptor

Here are some field test shots of the E-P1 using the 17mm f/2.8, 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 and Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4 at a local restaurant – Concrete Bar, Enjoy !

Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4

Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4

A warm welcome from a concrete bar staff. Taken with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6

Concrete bar interior. Taken with 17mm f/2.8

Concrete bar interior. Taken with 17mm f/2.8

Concrete bar interior. Taken with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6

Beef and Bacon Burger. Taken with Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4

Cajun Spiced Chicken Sandwich. Taken with Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4

Click image below to check out the ISO test from ISO100-6400 using the 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6. Ignore the camera shake due to low shutter speed at low ISO.

Where can I find the equipment seen on this site?

If you find this site useful and planning to purchase any of the equipment seen on this site, please show your support by purchasing your photo equipment at B&H Photo Video or through any of the affiliate links seen on this site.

• Sony alpha NEX 3
• Sony alpha NEX 5
• Olympus EP-1
• Olympus E-P2
• Olympus E-PL1
• Olympus M.Zuiko 17mm f/2.8
• Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6
• Olympus VF-1 viewfinder
• Voigtlander 40mm f/1.4

Nikon D3000

A new addition to my Nikon collection is the Nikon D3000. Why did I get the D3000? It was on sale with a very attractive price tag and I was looking for a smaller camera. In fact, the twin lens kit was cheaper than a G11 :D. Having been using Nikon D700 for quite some time,  certainly it didn’t take too long to notice what’s missing on the D3000. However, it is not really fair to compare a D3000 with a D700 which costs three times as much. There are so many detailed D3000 reviews on the internet, so I won’t need to repeat it here, but leave you with some quick thoughts if you are choosing between an entry level DSLR and compact camera (P&S) like the G11 and LX3.

	Entry level DSLR D3000/1000D	High end P&S (G11/LX3)
Image Quality	Far better on DSLR, you will notice the difference. See sensor size	Adequate if you are not pixel peeking
Size	Small enough to give a decent grip of the camera, but it is not something to carry to everywhere	Much smaller, possible to store in jacket pocket or purse
High ISO	Noticeable noise @ ISO1600	Noticeable noise @ ISO400
AF Response	Noticeably much faster	Adequate for those snapshots, anything more will be frustrating
Functionality	Has all the main functions, access to these function usually through the menu system. Has less customise features than the D700	Has all the main functions, but usually require to fiddle with the menu system using the small camera buttons
Flash	The onboard flash is much more powerful and with the possibility to add a proper flash such as SB-600, the combination should get you through a lot of places.	Onboard lash power is limited ,until you add a specific design external flash
Lens	The 18-55mm kit lens has an aperture of f/3.5-5.6 and an equivalent focal length of 27mm on the wide side. Even though it is 1.5 stop slower, DSLR offers much less noise on higher ISO. Not to mention it has a dedicated zoom ring.	Usually equip with a fast wide angle lens, eg: 24mm f/2 on a LX3
Build Quality	Solidly build but probably won’t pass a drop test	Solidly build but probably won’t pass a drop test

Nikon D3000

Panasonic LX3

Here the smallest meets the biggest, Nikon D3000 with the 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII

The twin lens kit comes with a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR and 55-200 f/3.5-5.6 VR. Below shows a size comparison of the kit lenses to the professional lenses of similar focal length. They are (left to right)

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII

Nikon 55-200mm f/3.5-5.6

Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8

Nikon 18-55mm f/2.5-5.6

What about micro four thirds Olympus EP2 or Panasonic GF1? They are good cameras (probably up to ISO800) but their price tags are still high at the moment. After all, even iphones take great pictures sometimes :D

Where can I find the equipment seen on this site?

If you find this site useful and planning to purchase any of the equipment seen on this site, please show your support by purchasing your photo equipment at B&H Photo Video or through any of the affiliate links seen on this site.

• Nikon DSLR D3000