E3 in Monaco.....

Unfortunately I cannot get the full pic to show....will place them on the front soon...

I had a very nice time in Monaco when I was in my twenties.
Nice place, a town as a country strange.
You are certainty a globe trotter lately Sigi.

Thank you for sharing the photos of Monaco, Beijing, and Paris. You captured some lovely and interesting places (that I'll likely never see in person).

You asked the question on whether an E3 is really needed. Well, we do like to best camera that we can buy for our money and we want sterling IQ. If you repair the LX3 or buy the GF1, it will be interesting to see what your opinion about camera needs and choice is after you've had a chance to compare them personally.

Actually, I've been asking myself somewhat the same question lately (how much is enough, basically) , so I'll be very interested to see what your take is.

Regards,
Phil

Siegfried, they are all great but the first shot is definitely my favorite.

Did you need the E3 - "yes" if that provided you with results you were happy with and felt the most comfortable using. However, I think that for us "non-professionals" who are not looking to sell our photos for huge enlargements, I think that a lot of the smaller cameras (read the new micro 4/3 cameras and some of the others coming out with bigger sensors than the usual P&S cameras) would be sufficient for 90% of our uses. (At least this is what I have found. I still hear my E30 crying on the shelf to be used.....). I know that we just got back from a trip to California (San Francisco, Napa and Yosemite) and Nevada (Lake Tahoe) and when examing the shots I really feel that I could not have gotten better results (or had an easier time getting most of the shots) if I had taken my E30 instead of the EP1. And this was not how I felt after I returned years ago from Chicago and having taken the G7. There is just something in the IQ of cameras with larger sensors (not meaning full size) that the P&S cameras with their much smaller sensors just can't keep up with. Now to clarify - I HATE flash photography. Yes it has it's place for studio/portrait work (with I rarely do) and certainly for fill-flash outdoors. But I prefer natural lighting whenever possible, and most of the P&S cameras I have used just can't keep up after ISO 400.
Steve

Hi Steve
When I'm traveling I allways use my E-30 in the days,and in the evenings I just take G7,whitch I love,and that works good for me.I think that the little canon still is a very good camera..of course not a EP1 but you can't have everything..
Kind regards
Erik

Erik,
When I got the EP1 I planned on it being a backup for my E30. When we went to the West Coast I was so happy with the EP1 photos, I decided to leave the E30 at home (as it seemed a bit strange to take the E30 as a backup to the smaller camera). Ended up getting a Canon SD960IS as a backup and for my wife to use. But the EP1 is so small - especially when you put one of the pancakes on it - that became my dinner/nighttime camera.
(And - at least to me - those low-light, night time shots was one of the areas that I always felt the G7 lacked. But in good light it was great.)
Steve

Hellow Steve
Yes,I think you are right,but if you want to use f.ex the 14-54 together with the EP1 then it's not so small..but I will think it over.I know myself and in the end there will be a EP1 here as well.What do you think about the G11.I have not seen any reports yet so I will wait untill it will arrive here in Sweden and then decide.
Erik

Hi Guys

Thanks for your kind feedback and the subsequent discussion. Phil I think I can answer your question, with all the different cameras I tried to date I did develop a opinion of my own.

I like to agree with Steve that today its possible to get totally adequate results with almost any camera using a SLR sized sensor. I think camera manufacturers do a lot of effort to try and match their different models to specific market segments. That said, the EP 1 or its Panny version the G1 and other can all be a potential solution for you and any of them will do a great job.

I tried or used each of the following for a long enough period to be able to say something about each of them. They are the G7, 350D, D300 (my son's work tool), all the Oly SLR's except some variants of the models like the E400/E410/E420 and E450, On this range I used 3 of the 4 for example.

As you know I had the L10 and the LX3 plus currently I have the G1....

Of all the SLR models from Oly I will recommend you to give the E3 a close look. One should not compare the EP 1 and the E3, the cameras are completely different.

The E3 for example offer things like a great position in the hands, its heavy and therefore presents great stability. The 100% view of the OVF is just awesome plus the live view or the version thereoff works like a charm. Then thins like the lightning fast focusing, the configuration options and the high shutter speeds all contributes to a very high performance level. The JPEG enjin of the E3 is also something very special. Phil the E3 is a Pro camera and its clear when you use it.... Do you need one? The interesting thing is that currently they priced more attractively and its still possible to get hold of a camera like this with the E3. I am sure once the E5 hit the shelves then the chance of owning one will be long to guys with large bank accounts only....

Is the E30 a option? Well its a great camera...but not on pro level.....

What is a good backup. First I will keep what you have, then later if you need a more modern offer I am sure the G11 will be very interesting. I am hanging onto my G1.....as I am sure it will make for a good trade later this year....:-)

Guys please add or disagree, I am very interested in your take on this....

Siegfried

Hello Siegfried!
Just want to remind you that you some weeks ago wrote that you almost regretted that you not kept your E30.....
Best
Erik

Dear Erik

I thought you would kindly remind me of what I said , that's OK.

The E30 is maybe the best Oly manufactured to date in terms of camera and pic quality. In addition it has some awesome functionality like the "level" meter build in plus the unique ability to fine tune your lenses. The live view is also at the most recent level and that's advanced to say the least. The picture quality is something really special and of high technical standard. The noise is different to the E3 and requires a different approach when editing the pics.

Erik you would agree that in many instances the E30 is the leader and that's true. The subtle difference is that the E3 was originally made for a different market namely the pro market.

I said it somewhere else....what made me swing to the E3, was a change I made in how I look at photography. I completely changed from a "technical" photographer to a free style photographer if that is how one can describe it.....

As old I would set the screen to show blow outs, I used a gray card and in Photoshop I technically corrected the picture to nearly perfection.... As new my camera is permanently in full manual, I use all my great technical experience to help me utilize or use my camera to the full. I use the screen on the camera a lot to create the picture I want. In the PC each picture becomes a work of art and not a process of adjusting parameters to technical perfection.....

With this in mind.....looking at the E3 as a pro level tool....well its awesome. Could it happen that a guy with a E30 outsmart me....absolutely

Hope that answered your question/comment

Siegfried

Hello Siegfried!
I think you are perfectly right and I should love to be able to try the E3 and see myself the differenc.I just had it in my hands at a photoshop and what stroke me was the OWF.Really a big difference.And your pics are wonderful...Then I think it is impossible to follow the market and buy a new cam everytime they introduse a new one,but I have done it....it is difficult not to do,but for the moment I will keep my cams but will look at the G11.
Kind regards
Erik

Erik - have not be on for a few days. Yes - adding the 14-54 to the EP1 does make it quite a bit larger package, but the ability to use the HQ and SHQ Olympus lenses (and all the various older manual focus lenses) gives the EP1 - and the other m4/3 bodies - a distinct advantage when it comes to glass. (I would LOVE to be able to get some of those great Leica lenses, but they are just too much to justify for me personally.)
The above shot was taken with the EP1 and the 14-54. The better lenses certainly show what the camera is capable of.
As far as the G11 - yes it looks interesting, but I can't see myself really getting it.
Steve

Siegfried - I have read since the release of the E3 on a continuous basis from you and other users about the "special quality" of the camera. And while I love the E30 (when I remember to take it off the shelf that is), I really don't think one is any more capable in the right hands than the other. Yes the E30 techinically is newer technology than the E3, but that is always not for the best. Each body has their own "special qualities" and what they can each do better. I am glad you are really enjoying yours.
Steve

Hello Steve

You 100% right, I also think each body is special, at the end its the guy or girl behind the camera that makes the picture.

This week I had the chance to look at the EP-1 again in a shop. It surely is a lovely camera Olympus designed and build. The quality finish is really in a class of its own. I think the price is also well positioned compared to the Panny cameras.

I can easily imagine my E3 also parking on the shelve with a camera like that in my hand. Has it happened yet that you considered selling off all the SLR stuff and to go full out for Micro 4/3rds?

Must say I am still between two fires....I invested a lot into my Oly SLR gear and I do not just want to give up on it.

I think its easier as what one think to just say...guys that's it, as a hobby photographer that was me....good buy SLR....

I am really interested to see what the next 18 months will do....

Do you have a EP-1 picture collection of approximately 20 pics that you can pass on for display in the pic gallery?

All the best

Siegfried

Hi Siegfried.
Truthfully, if Oly (I just prefer them so far to Pan/Lumix - just personal) were to come out with a m4/3 body, similar to the Pana GH1 - even if a bit larger than the EP1, rotating LCD, good EVF, pop-up flash, perhaps better low-light AF/or AF assist lamp - I could certainly see selling my E30. Would probably keep the 14-54MKII, unless Oly comes out with a HG normal zoom lens for the m4/3 system.
As far as pics - I have 5 galeries of EP1 shots on my Pbase page at
http://www.pbase.com/swandy. All the galleries from the "Olympus EP1" through the "California Nevada 2009" were with the EP1 (even the wedding shots and the concert). Either you can pick out your favorites - I could send you the full size JPEGs if you wish - or I can pick out my favorites. Thanks for asking.
Steve