Olympus E-1

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    Highlights

    • 5 MP Micro Four Thirds CCD Sensor
    • 100 - 3,200 Native ISO
    • 3 Focus Points
    • 1.8" 134k dot Fixed Screen
    • Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder
    • 3.0 fps Continuous Shooting
    • Wheather Sealed Body
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    Overview

    Olympus E-1 was announced in 2003 and is a Micro Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) DSLR camera with 5 Megapixel CCD sensor. Its native ISO ranges from 100 to 3,200. The camera has a Fixed 1.8" screen with 134k dot resolution and built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder.

    Table of Contents
    1. Overview
    2. Pros and Cons
    3. Successor
    4. Screen and Viewfinder
    5. Sensor
    6. Photography Features
    7. Connectivity, Battery and Storage
    8. Other Features
    9. Physical Parameters
    10. For Different Types of Photography
    11. Evaluation
    12. Specifications  

    Here is the Olympus E-x series lineup, where you can view and compare the main specifications of the cameras within the same series.

    Olympus E-x series lineup
    Model Date Sensor Native ISO Screen Price
    Image cannot be found Olympus E-5
    Compare
    		February
    2011    		 12.3 MP
    Micro Four Thirds    		 100 - 6,400 Articulated 3.0"
    920k dot
    Image cannot be found Olympus E-3
    Compare
    		February
    2008    		 10.0 MP
    Micro Four Thirds    		 100 - 3,200 Articulated 2.5"
    230k dot
    Image cannot be found Olympus E-1 November
    2003    		 5 MP
    Micro Four Thirds    		 100 - 3,200 Fixed 1.8"
    134k dot

    You can view their side-by-side comparison here: Olympus E-5 vs E-3 vs E-1.

    Pros and Cons

    In this section we present pros and cons of Olympus E-1.

    PROS

    •   Environmental Sealing

    CONS

    •   No Video Capture
    •   Small Sensor
    •   Low Resolution Sensor - 5 Megapixel
    •   3,200 Highest Native ISO
    •   Timelapse Recording
    •   3 Focus Points
    •   No Face Detection
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Fixed Screen
    •   Small Screen - 1.8"
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 134k dot
    •   No Live View
    •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.0 fps
    •   No HDMI Output
    •   No Built-in Microphone
    •   No Microphone Input
    •   No Headphone Output
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
    •   No Built-In Bluetooth

    And here are some specifications which fall into average criteria and are neither in PROs nor in CONs category:

    AVERAGE

    •   100 Lowest Native ISO
    •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
    •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/180 sec
    •   Weight - 735 g (1.62 lb / 25.93 oz)

    Successor

    In 2008 Olympus E-1 was replaced by Olympus E-3. Let us now have a look at some important differences between Olympus E-1 and its successor.

    UPGRADES Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-1
    Higher Sensor Resolution 10.0 Megapixel vs 5 Megapixel
    Max Image Resolution 3648 x 2736 vs 2560 x 1920
    More Focus Points 11 vs 3
    Image Stabilization Sensor Shift vs
    Screen Type Fully Articulated vs Fixed
    Larger Screen 2.5" vs 1.8"
    Higher Resolution Screen 230k dot vs 134k dot
    Top LCD Screen vs
    Live View vs
    Higher Viewfinder Magnification (35mm equivalent) 0.58x vs 0.48x
    Higher Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) 1/8000 sec vs 1/4000 sec
    Higher Max Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps vs 3.0 fps
    Built-in Flash vs
    Higher Flash Sync Speed 1/250 sec vs 1/180 sec
    Orientation Sensor vs
    DOWNGRADES Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-1
    Heavier 890 g (1.96 lb / 31.39 oz) vs 735 g (1.62 lb / 25.93 oz)

    For more detailed comparison between the models please visit Olympus E-1 vs E-3.

    Screen and Viewfinder

    Fixed screen

    Olympus E-1 has a 1.8" Fixed screen with 134k dot resolution which is quite low by today's standards.


    Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder

    Camera has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.96x (0.48x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

    Sensor

    Olympus E-1 features a 5 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CCD sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 224.9 mm2. Its native ISO range is 100 - 3,200.


    Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how Olympus E-1's Micro Four Thirds sensor compares with other types of sensors:

    Sensor size chart
    Sensor Dimensions Area Aspect Ratio Crop Factor
    Image cannot be displayedMedium Format44 x 33 mm1452 mm24:30.79x
    Image cannot be displayedFull Frame36 x 24 mm864 mm23:21x
    Image cannot be displayedAPS-H27 x 18 mm486 mm23:21.3x
    Image cannot be displayedAPS-C23.6 x 15.6 mm368.2 mm23:21.5x
    Image cannot be displayedAPS-C (Canon)22.3 x 14.9 mm332.3 mm23:21.6x
    Image cannot be displayedMicro Four Thirds17.3 x 13 mm224.9 mm24:32x
    Image cannot be displayed1-inch13.2 x 8.8 mm116.2 mm23:22.7x
    Image cannot be displayed1/1.7-inch7.44 x 5.58 mm41.5 mm24:34.7x
    Image cannot be displayed1/2.3-inch6.17 x 4.55 mm28.1 mm24:35.6x

    Photography Features

    Camera can take pictures up to 2560 x 1920 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolutions like 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 with 4:3 aspect ratios.


    Lens Mount

    Olympus E-1 has Four Thirds lens mount. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor its crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is 2x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2.


    No In-Body Image Stabilization

    The camera does not have in-body image stabilization (IBIS) so it needs lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction.

    Check out the cameras which are frequently compared to Olympus E-1.

    Olympus E-5
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    Micro Four Thirds

    12.3 MP

    Olympus E-3
    Image cannot be found

    Micro Four Thirds

    10.0 MP

    Olympus E-520
    Image cannot be found

    Micro Four Thirds

    10.0 MP

    Olympus E-300
    Image cannot be found

    Micro Four Thirds

    8 MP

    Olympus E-450
    Image cannot be found

    Micro Four Thirds

    10.0 MP

    Olympus E-600
    Image cannot be found

    Micro Four Thirds

    12 MP

    Olympus E-30
    Image cannot be found

    Micro Four Thirds

    12 MP

    Olympus E-500
    Image cannot be found

    Micro Four Thirds

    8 MP

    Olympus E-330
    Image cannot be found

    Micro Four Thirds

    7.94 MP

    Olympus E-620
    Image cannot be found

    Micro Four Thirds

    12.3 MP

    Olympus E-400
    Image cannot be found

    Micro Four Thirds

    10.0 MP

    Sigma sd Quattro
    Image cannot be found

    APS-C

    29 MP

    Connectivity, Battery and Storage

    USB Input

    Olympus E-1 has a USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) input for data transfer.


    External Storage Slots

    The camera has a single Compact Flash (Type I/II) card slot.

    Other Features

    Shutter

    Olympus E-1 has Type: Electronically controlled focal plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec. Camera can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps.


    Flash

    Olympus E-1 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec.

    Physical Parameters

    Olympus E-1 has dimensions of 141 x 104 x 81 mm (5.55 x 4.09 x 3.19"). It weighs 735 g (1.62 lb / 25.93 oz) which is neither heavy nor lightweight.

    141 mm (5.55")

    104 mm (4.09")

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    104 mm (4.09")

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    81 mm (3.19")

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    Olympus E-1 dimensions

    Olympus E-1 for Different Types of Photography

    We give scores to the camera for different type of photography based on its features and specifications. Let us see how Olympus E-1 is suitable for six different types of photography.


    Landscape Photography

    AVERAGE
    68

    Olympus E-1 gets a score of 68 and is AVERAGE choice for Landscape photography.

    •   Small Sensor
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 134k dot
    •   No Live View
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   Environmental Sealing

    Sports Photography

    POOR
    48

    Olympus E-1 gets a score of 48 and is POOR choice for Sports photography.

    •   3,200 Highest Native ISO
    •   3 Focus Points
    •   No Face Detection
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 134k dot
    •   No Live View
    •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.0 fps

    Wildlife Photography

    POOR
    54

    Olympus E-1 gets a score of 54 and is POOR choice for Wildlife photography.

    •   3,200 Highest Native ISO
    •   3 Focus Points
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 134k dot
    •   No Live View
    •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.0 fps
    •   Environmental Sealing

    Portrait Photography

    AVERAGE
    59

    Olympus E-1 gets a score of 59 and is AVERAGE choice for Portrait photography.

    •   Small Sensor
    •   3 Focus Points
    •   No Face Detection
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Small Screen - 1.8"
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 134k dot
    •   No Live View
    •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/180 sec

    Street Photography

    GOOD
    76

    Olympus E-1 gets a score of 76 and is GOOD choice for Street photography.

    •   Small Sensor
    •   3 Focus Points
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Fixed Screen
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 134k dot
    •   No Live View
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   Environmental Sealing
    •   Weight - 735 g (1.62 lb / 25.93 oz)

    Travel Photography

    GOOD
    81

    Olympus E-1 gets a score of 81 and is GOOD choice for Travel photography.

    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Fixed Screen
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 134k dot
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   Environmental Sealing
    •   Weight - 735 g (1.62 lb / 25.93 oz)

    Olympus E-1 Evaluation

    We evaluate Olympus E-1 and give score of 53 out of 100. We also give separate scores for 7 different categories according to the available features and specifications some of which are listed below. These evaluations are relative and may change each time a new camera is added to the database.


    OVERALL
    53

    Sensor

    AVERAGE
    56

    We give Olympus E-1 a score of 56 for Sensor parameters.

    •   Small Sensor
    •   Low Resolution Sensor - 5 Megapixel
    •   100 Lowest Native ISO
    •   3,200 Highest Native ISO

    Photo

    POOR
    51

    We give Olympus E-1 a score of 51 for Photo parameters.

    •   Timelapse Recording
    •   No Image Stabilization
    •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
    •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.0 fps
    •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/180 sec

    Video

    BAD
    0

    We give Olympus E-1 a score of 0 for Video parameters.

    •   No Image Stabilization

    Focusing

    AVERAGE
    69

    We give Olympus E-1 a score of 69 for Focusing parameters.

    •   3 Focus Points
    •   No Face Detection

    Screen and Viewfinder

    AVERAGE
    64

    We give Olympus E-1 a score of 64 for Screen and Viewfinder parameters.

    •   Fixed Screen
    •   Small Screen - 1.8"
    •   Low Resolution Screen - 134k dot

    Connectivity

    POOR
    40

    We give Olympus E-1 a score of 40 for Connectivity parameters.

    •   No HDMI Output
    •   No Built-in Microphone
    •   No Microphone Input
    •   No Headphone Output
    •   No Built-in GPS
    •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
    •   No Built-In Bluetooth

    Battery, Storage and Physical

    GOOD
    78

    We give Olympus E-1 a score of 78 for Battery, Storage and Physical parameters.

    •   Environmental Sealing
    •   Weight - 735 g (1.62 lb / 25.93 oz)


    For a full specification list please go to the specifications page:

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