What the Firmwareupdate does.

This week was a lot to do at work, so my writedown about the Firmwareupdate 1.1 had to wait. On Septembre, the 15th Olympus released this to improve Continous-AF with all AF-Lenses & to improve the Autofocus in general.

Installing with the Olympus Master2 Software is totally easy, but you have to be shure that power and also your internet connection are stabil. The Bodyupdate takes a bit a long time. I have asked me if the updateprocess’ hang up. But it’s all ok. It’s just over 20MB! The Lensupdates were much faster.

So, what does the Update? Is AF really improved? As i am not the one person who measures in Studio Comparisons i only can tell you about my real world tests. In my opinion it is improved, faster and more precise, but i had expected it a bit faster. I was curious about the Autofocus in Video and in my opinion the AF doesn’t pump as much as before.

Overall the Update is ok & essential for your E-P1 and the Lenses. Maybe we can expect a new AF improving in 1.2? Time will tell. How are your experiences?

| Nature is shrill |  M.Zuiko 17mm/2.8 “more precise & faster AF”

The beatniks.

Last Thursday we had the 40th  birthday party  from my girlfriend where also kids were around to do some bobby car testdrives. They are looking very cool… & moody.

What You can’t have with the E-P1

The E-P1 has no fast Autofocus, also not Canikon 6.3 frames per second in continous shooting. When you are a sports photographer and you need a fast and accurate tracking Autofocus and/or  a fast frame burst, click on to the big DSLR’s from Canon or Nikon. The E-P1’s Autofocus is a slow-going one, in continous AF-Mode it sometimes pumps. You will have 11 (selectable) AF-Points.Three frames per second is what you get in Continous Shooting Mode. On 15th September 2009 a Firmware Update is awaited to give better Autofocus Performance. I will write here my experiences.

The E-P1 is not a full automatic HD-Videocamcorder. To make good Videos you have to train it. For smooth and accurate Videofilming you have to fully concentrate you. The Autofocus in Single AF is not automatic, if your subject moves you have to refocus by pressing a button, if you want to zoom you have to do this classical by moving the zoomring on your lens, all this actions sounds will also be recorded! You will have some krk krk noises in your Video! If you want to change the aperture during filming, it is not possible. Set Aperture and Ev before you start your video. If you want to take longer scenes than 7 minutes it is not possible. But when you train your Videomovements and learn to manual focus during filming the E-P1 will give you very nice Videos with Stereo Sound.

The E-P1 has no viewfinder, only with the M.Zuiko 17mm Pencake lens you can use the optical Viewfinder VF-1, which is wonderful. [Edit: the upcoming LUMIX G Lens 1.7/20mm is also usable with this Viewfinder]  It’s kind of a Leicafeeling. But if you need a camera with a viewfinder for all focal length wait until you will get the Panasonic GF1. It will be electronic.

The E-P1 has no flash. When you need Flashlight you have to buy a flash. All Olympus E-System-Flashes and Compatibles will work with the E-P1, or wait for the Panasonic GF1. It has an in-build flash.

You see, the E-P1 is down to the bones. And limitations boost creativity, don’t they?