Olympus E1 5.5MP Digital SLR Camera Special Kit

by Olympus

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 9 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0001GQAHU
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,888 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 7, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The E1 is a digital camera designed specifically for professional photographers. It is an amalgam of high-end digital technology, advanced technical features, and a rugged construction intended for daily use. This kit includes the E1 camera, Olympus 14-54 millimeter Zuiuko zoom lens, a 1GB CompactFlash memory card, electronic flash, and a carrying case.

Optics and Resolution
Featuring a 5.5-megapixel full-frame transfer CCD (FT-CCD) sensor, the E1 delivers a wide range of detail and color (with images up to 2560 by 1920 pixels) in both TIFF and Raw formats. The FT-CCD is a progressive scan sensor that provides more image capturing surface area than traditional interline CCDs. Olympus claims this type of sensor accounts for more accurate color sensitivity, a higher dynamic range from black to white, and a higher signal-to-noise ratio than most other cameras in its class.

With a traditional 35mm lens, light hits the periphery of the image area at oblique angles. This is not a problem with the flat surface of film, but diodes inside image-sensor light wells need direct light paths (see above, left). Because the Four Thirds System uses a lens mount that is about twice the size of the camera's image circle, light is more likely travel straight into the wells (right).

The E-1 utilizes the Four Thirds lens standard, which was designed to solve some of the image problems manufacturers have found by designing digital SLRs to use traditional 35mm lens systems--specifically, a digital image sensor's need for light from direct angles. This body has a Four Thirds mount and is only compatible with Four Thirds lenses by Olympus and other manufacturers. The camera also features spot, center-weighted, and electro-selective pattern (ESP) metering, seven selectable sharpness levels, three-point autofocus with AF assist illumination.

Supersonic wave filter protects imager from dust

Supersonic wave filter
Because swapping lenses on the go is a fundamental part of SLR photography, so too is dust particles. The problem is made more acute by the physics of a CCD; tiny particles can easily block or disable the CCD's image wells to degrade performance of your camera over time. To solve this, Olympus has created a supersonic wave filter that causes ultra-discrete high-speed vibration knocks particles away from the imager. The filter is operated automatically at start-up and during pixel mapping, and can be manually turned on at any time.

More Features

Capture images in Adobe RGB for photos going to CMYK printers

• Mixed AF/MF mode lets the photographer make fine adjustments or focus manually after AF is performed in the S-AF mode
• Focus priority mode prevents the shutter from firing until perfect focus is reached
• 12 AE and AF lock modes, and customizable the rotational direction of the focus ring
• The high eye-point optical viewfinder provides a 100 percent accurate frame view (horizontal and vertical) for precision framing and image capture
• Neo-lumi-micron matte II focusing screen, a deformed hexagonal micro prism designed to reduce the moirée; effect in the viewfinder for clear, sharp viewfinder focus.
• Color space choice between sRGB (ideal for computer monitors, inkjet printers, scanners, and the Internet) and Adobe RGB (ideal for pre-press and printing on CMYK printers).
• White balance settings: auto, preset and one-touch manual
• Fixed- and random-pattern noise reduction
• Magnesium alloy metal body construction makes camera light yet extremely durable

Storage and Transfer
Images are stored on CompactFlash card (type I, II), micro drive (16bit/32bit format compatible)--all of which are sold separately. Files can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB 2.0 connectivity, which automatically steps down to lower-capacity USB formats if 2.0 isn't detected on the target computer. The camera also features a IEEE 1394 (aka "FireWire") port for high-speed image transfer.

Power and Size
The camera is powered by a rechargeable Li-ion battery pack, included with a charger. The camera measures 5.55 x 4.09 x 3.19 inches and weighs 23 ounces without batteries and memory.

What's in the Box
E-1 digital SLR body, shoulder strap, Li-ion battery pack, BLM-1 Olympus viewer 1.0 software, Li-ion battery charger BCM-1, Adobe Photoshop Elements CD-ROM, USB cable, web photo school lessons, IEEE 1394 cable, manuals, video cable, warranty card. Also included in this kit: Olympus 14-54 millimeter Zuiuko zoom lens, a 1GB CompactFlash memory card, electronic flash, and a carrying case.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent semi-pro camera system, February 1, 2005

By 

Danijel Turina (Croatia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Olympus E1 5.5MP Digital SLR Camera Special Kit (Electronics)

I've been using E1 with Zuiko Digital 14-54 f/2.8-3.5 for several months now, and I must report that I am thoroughly pleased with its operation. It performs flawlessly, without any glitches, and is a solid, well built and reliable photographic tool. It is a joy to use in the field.
Image quality is nothing short of excellent. A3 sized prints from E1 easily match my best slide scans from 35mm film. The images are clean, vivid, sharp, with beautiful colors, which reminds me of Kodak emulsions. Once I made a beautiful, clean A4 print from a small cropped segment of a portrait; at this enlargement, the entire picture would exceed A2 paper size. 5 megapixels yes, but 5 megapixels of extreme signal quality. Unlike Canon, Kodak didn't put hardware noise reduction on its sensors, so with help of NeatImage or Noise Ninja, one can make very clean prints even at ISO 800. However, ISO 1600 and 3200 display banding artifacts, and are useful mostly for black&white images. Those B&W images, however, respond very well to noise reduction and produce very good A4 prints. As for the 14-54 lens, it is very sharp from f/3.5-f/11, has very good but not excellent bokeh, has extremely useful range from moderately wide to moderately tele (28-108mm in 35mm equivalents), and works best at the long end. There it really shines as a portrait lens. However, it displays some vignetting at the long end, and some cyan fringing in the corners at the wide and.
So, the strong points of this camera are its absolute image quality, color fidelity, buid quality and ergonomics. On the minus side, however, there is autofocus, which leaves much room for improvement. It is slow and of little use in low light. Also, the buffer could clear faster, especially with microdrive, whose full potential isn't utilized.

Conclusion: it's an excellent camera, whose real competitor is Canon 20D. Canon has a solid resolution advantage, produces good images, and works better at high ISO values. However, E1 is better built, it has an excellent kit lens which is every bit as good as Canon L zooms and rivals good primes, has built-in sensor cleaning, is splash-proof and an excellent overall package. Choice between them is a matter of individual preference and taste. What made it for me was the range of focal lengths. With Olympus, I can cover my needs with just two lenses, and 14-54 is designed just right. It's wide enough and long enough for me not to need anything else for most applications. With a 35mm legacy and 1.6x crop factor, Canon's lens range is just inconvenient. Most lenses are either not wide enough or not long enough or cover the wrong range. With Olympus, I still didn't feel any desperate need to buy a second lens; 108mm equivalent is just right for portraiture, and 28mm is just wide enough for the kind of landscapes I usually shoot.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Olympus got it exactly right., June 28, 2005

By 

James H. Agans (Eldersburg, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Olympus E1 5.5MP Digital SLR Camera Special Kit (Electronics)

I agree with everything Mr. Danijelt Turina said in his review except for one thing. This camera is a pro camera all the way. In my opinion there is no semi about it. Olympus thought of everything on this camera. Ergonomics, capture speed, durability, and last but most important image quality. I suggest that anyone that thinks that 5MP cant cut it go to www.myfourthirds.com and browse around. The images will blow you away! They feel three dimensional.

Remember, with digital we are dealing with light producing an electronic signal, storing it, and converting it back to an image. The cleaner the signal, the cleaner the image. Olympus has no weak link in the electronic chain, and no weak link in the ergonomic chain. As a photographer who stated at 9 years of age and is still at it at 58, I have used many cameras, Nikon FTN, Contax SLR, Leica, and 4x5 large format. This camera equals or betters them all. It makes you want to pick it up and shoot photos. Go and handle one, and check out the location of the controls. Absolutely Superb! Dont get fooled by the megapixel myth. Its better to have a one pound bag of one carat, blue white diamonds than a five pound bag of diamond dust ;-)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Professional Digital SLR Camera, December 9, 2005

By 

James D. DeWitt "Alaska Fan" (Fairbanks, AK United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Olympus E1 5.5MP Digital SLR Camera Special Kit (Electronics)

You can look at every digital SLR camera on the market and not find a better feature set than the E1. The four thirds system really does solve a lot of the problems facing 35mm lenses on digital bodies. The critical lens suite is now available and they work flawlessly.

I've used this camera in Trinidad at 90 plus degrees and 90% humidity, and in interior Alaska at -45 degrees and 2% humidity. It has worked flawlessly across all of those conditions. It's rugged enough to be undamaged in a fall that cracked two of my ribs, but is stunningly light in your hands. My buddies struggle with dust on the mirror; I have _never_ had to clean the mirror; the "supersonic wave filter" is that good.

Much of my work is bird photography. Bracketing exposures, quick focus and multiple shots are simply indispensable. The E1 has never let me down.

Special points for Firewire support, which lets me pull 1 GB of photos at nearly hard disk drive speeds. I think you'll like this camera very much. Very highly recommended.