Looking for Feedback on Olympus E-P3

[GypsyHighSide]

I have been considering purchasing an Olympus E-P3 and wanted to get some feedback and thoughts from owners. So does anyone on the forum have an E-P3?

[Snarfy]

Don't own, have used a friend's a bit. The E-P3 is amazing.

[Hogleg 44]

I handled one at a camera show a few weeks ago, and it felt good, and the focusing was fast but they had no card in it.
The reps showing the cameras I suspect were not Olympus employees because they couldn’t answer a question I asked about focus point.
I am also concerned about shutter lag. It may be fast focusing, but I am not convinced that the shutter lag is improved that much from my E-PL1, which is disappointingly slow, so I still have reservations.
I'm waiting to see how the Panasonic GX1 and the Sony NEX 7 fare out in the reviews.
Viewfinder is another issue. I hate to shoot via the LCD screen. I don't like that they have not built in a viewfinder. I have a viewfinder for the Olympus camera, but for the GX1 I would have to buy one. The NEX 7 has a viewfinder.

[GypsyHighSide]

Originally Posted by Snarfy

Don't own, have used a friend's a bit. The E-P3 is amazing.

So what are your thoughts on shutter lag? Was it noticeable?

[Snarfy]

Originally Posted by GypsyHighSide

So what are your thoughts on shutter lag? Was it noticeable?

Hardly any, in fact, the lack thereof impressed me.

[Donb10]

I bought a silver body PEN E-P3 shortly after they came out. I got it with the 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. The kit lens is fine outdoors, and does better if it is stopped down. Since the initial purchase, I've picked up the VF-2, the 40-150mm f/4-5.6 lens, a Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 and an Olympus 48mm f/1.8. So, far, I really like the camera and lens. The camera body and the 4 lens weigh 6 ounces more that just my 7D body.

The photo of the biplane on the ground was taken with the 20mm Panasonic, the others with the 40-150mm Olympus.

[GypsyHighSide]

Thanks for the input everyone. It looks like I will have to get me a late Christmas gift.

[Hogleg 44]

Originally Posted by Donb10

I bought a silver body PEN E-P3 shortly after they came out. I got it with the 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. The kit lens is fine outdoors, and does better if it is stopped down. Since the initial purchase, I've picked up the VF-2, the 40-150mm f/4-5.6 lens, a Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 and an Olympus 48mm f/1.8. So, far, I really like the camera and lens. The camera body and the 4 lens weigh 6 ounces more that just my 7D body.

The photo of the biplane on the ground was taken with the 20mm Panasonic, the others with the 40-150mm Olympus.

Don, You caught some nice airplane images here. I like!

What are your thoughts on shutter lag. Obviously if there was much it would have difficult to get these shots of the planes in the air.

[rfortson]

Originally Posted by Hogleg 44

Don, You caught some nice airplane images here. I like!

What are your thoughts on shutter lag. Obviously if there was much it would have difficult to get these shots of the planes in the air.

Obviously you know your way around a camera, so I'm wondering about the shutter lag problem you mentioned on your E-PL1. I have the E-P1 and I haven't found shutter lag to be a problem. What does slow me down on occasion is the AF speed. It has to cycle in and out before locking focus, which is slow. I set mine to back button focus, so I can focus once, and then the shutter is pretty much instantaneous until I need to refocus.

Where was the shutter lag causing you problems? Just curious.

[Donb10]

I found no problem with shutter lag. The E-P3 focus speed with the new Olympus 40-150mm is very fast. I used the VF-2, panned with the airplane like using a shotgun and tried to keep a shutter speed at about 1/400 to keep the prop blurred. The instant I got focus, I pushed the shutter button all the way.

[RT_Panther]

You might also want to check out Panasonic's new GX1

[Hogleg 44]

Thanks Don.

Originally Posted by rfortson

Where was the shutter lag causing you problems? Just curious.

Perhaps I am spoiled by the instantaneous ability of my Canon DSLR's to capture a shot. (1DMkIII, 5DII) But even prefocused the E-PL1 doesn't capture exactly what is in my viewfinder (VF-2) when I press the shutter button. That is the lag I don't like. YES, It doesn't cost as much as the Canon's...
There is a very minuscule delay that frequently doesn't capture what I wanted. Say I am shooting a flying goose. I am panning the goose and focused. I push the button with the goose at a point in my viewfinder. The goose is not at that point in the resulting image. Sometimes it is almost out of the image.
There is no way I would try to use that camera to shoot any kind of action where I seriously wanted the pictures.
The Canon's can do it, the E-PL1 just can't.
The E-PL1 Is a very nice little camera for what it does. It produces very nice images considering it's size and price. But it isn't recommended for action shots in any review that I have read. And I presume that lag is the reason.
I have experimented with different settings, and turning on and off some things that help, but too much lag still exists for my liking.
That is why I am concerned if the E-P3, (or some of the new others) have reduced that lag.
I like action, and I would like a smaller camera with a larger MOS sensor and interchangeable lenses that can handle reasonable action.

[darktiger]

I think it would be a great converted IR camera..... hmmmm

[rfortson]

Thanks Paul. I can see what you mean, and have experienced a slight delay between what I see and what I capture. I think it may be a combination of shutter and EVF delay. Anyway, thanks for the description. I knew that you knew what you meant. Many times when the general public talks about "shutter lag", they really are talking about AF time + shutter lag, with the vast majority of the lag coming from AF time (especially when they are using a P&S camera).

[Richard_B]

There is a comparison of the GX1 and the E-P3 on Steve Huff's site. The first installment compares high ISO performance.