If you love the idea of buying a Micro four thirds camera but miss the vintage look of cameras on long ago, then we may have a solution for you. The Olympus E-P1 digital camera is a compact retro-style camera that can also shoot 12.3-megapixel photos and 720p high-definition video.

Olympus officially announced the E-P1 this past week. The camera is expected to be called the “digital Pen,” similar to the Olympus Pen series of analog cameras put out by the manufacturer back in the day and has the same look and feel as its old-time predecessor.

The 12.3-megapixel shooter will come packaged with a 14-42mm lens, with a 17mm pancake lens available as well for an additional $100. The camera has a 3-inch LCD screen on its rear for viewing pictures, and ISO range of 100-6400, and has the ability to shoot high-definition video at 720p. Micro Four Thirds cameras have really started to take off in popularity since the original Micro Four Thirds camera, the Panasonic Lumix G. Micro Four Thirds cameras are built on the same technology as traditional DLR’s, but rather than use a reflexive mirror to take pictures they instead use an electronic viewfinder similar to other compact consumer cameras. the result is a camera that is much smaller than a traditional SLR, but one that can also use interchangeable lenses.

I really love that olympus has created the E-P1. I feel like Panasonics Micro four Thirds cameras, while interesting since they’re slightly smaller- really wouldn’t work for me as a photogrpaher when it came time to use them. The E-P1 is an interesting use of the Micro Four Thirds format, and one that creates a pretty unique camera I could actually see myself wanting to purchase.

The Olympus E-P1 is expected to be available in July for around $899 with the included lens. What do you think about this camera? Would you buy one?

Entry was posted on Sunday, June 21st, 2009 at 9:47 pm under Compact digital cameras.  Print This Post