This past Friday night and Saturday, I took a photo vacation. I persuaded my wife to watch the kids, and then I drove three hours to the town of Prosser, Washington, in the heart of the Yakima valley wine region. I was up before the sun on Saturday to photograph the Prosser Hot Air Balloon Rally.
I photographed the balloons with my Nikon D700, 24-70 f/2.8, and 80-200 f/2.8 AF-S lenses. I used the 80-200 most of the time, and the combined weight of the body and lens is 5.6 pounds. But when you drive three hours and wake up in the cold, starry, pre-dawn darkness for less than two hours of taking pictures, weight is not the primary concern. The D700 was a great tool for the job.
“Balloon and Ripples.” Shot with my Nikon D700 and 80-200 f/2.8 AF-S. Big and heavy, but also fast and responsive with a great viewfinder. Nikon D700, 1/250 at f/9, ISO 400, 80-200 f/2.8 AF-S zoom at 80mm.
But when the balloons had all landed, my mini-vacation wasn’t over. I checked out the Prosser farmer’s market, the town harvest festival, and a few wineries. Unlike my experience with the balloons, this part of the trip was primarily about getting out and experiencing the town. I didn’t have particular photos in mind, but I was on the lookout for fun images that would capture the essence of a day in Prosser. The best tool I have for this job is the Olympus EP-1. Total weight? 1.2 pounds. It’s by far my lightest large-sensor camera, and compact enough that I wouldn’t hesitate to throw it over my shoulder for a few hours of exploring.
“Truck, Hay, Chow.” Wine Country glamour aside, this is still rural America. This was the feed & grain store at the edge of town. I took this photo with the EP-1. Using the LCD to compose in the bright sunlight wasn’t a problem at all. EP1, 1/250 at f/11, ISO 200, 14-42 zoom at 14mm.
Size & weight have made me a big fan of the Olympus E-410 and E-520 cameras. I’ve taken thousands of photos with each body and made a sizeable investment in lenses. In spite of owning more “serious” cameras like the D700, a high proportion of my best photographs come from my Olympus cameras, because these are the cameras I feel comfortable carrying anywhere. That’s why I love the EP-1. It gives me almost everything I love about the E-520: Quick access to important shooting controls, full compatibility with my four-thirds lenses, and in-body image stabilization. It even bests the E-520 with two control dials and a new sensor. And the EP-1 provides all of this in a package that’s smaller and lighter than my no-frills E-410.
The EP-1 isn’t perfect. For me, the most significant issue is autofocus speed. Autofocus is accurate, and it’s certainly faster than manually focusing, but this isn’t the camera I’ll grab when I want pictures of my fast-moving kids. That remains my SLR. However, the EP-1 autofocus works perfectly well for a day of exploring, when I’m capturing images of relatively static subjects.
“Grapes.” This is the center of all economic activity in Prosser. EP-1, 1/80 at f/5.6, ISO 500, 14-42 zoom at 35mm.
“Duck Gourd.” At the Prosser harvest festival, one of the vendors made a cute display of gooseneck squash painted to look like a duck. Looks very “autumn” to me. EP-1, 1/160 at f/8, ISO 200, 14-42 zoom at 35mm.
Many bemoan the low-resolution LCD. In my shooting, this doesn’t bother me in the least. You can’t check fine focus, but it’s bright and has a wide viewing angle. Honestly, I find it easier to compose on the EP-1 LCD than I do using the optical viewfinder of either of my Olympus DSLRs.
I never intended to get the Olympus EP-1. I’d decided that the GH-1 was the micro-four-thirds camera for me. A series of unfortunate events made me the unintended owner of the EP-1, and while I would not have bought this camera under normal circumstances, I’m glad I have one. It’s a nice compliment to the GH-1. The GH-1 delivers near-DSLR autofocus performance, a good electronic viewfinder, and video performance that’s the envy of every combo camera. But it does this at being nearly the size and weight of my E-520. The EP-1, in contrast, rounds out what I get from the GH-1 by giving me an ultraportable camera with full compatibility with my micro-four-thirds and four-thirds lenses. The EP-1 is a joy to grab-and-go.
The combined strengths of my two micro-four-thirds bodies have completely convinced me that micro-four-thirds is the system for me for serious compact photography. I’ve loved & bonded with my E-410 and E-520, but I’m moving on to their successors. Watch for my eBay listings!
“Stacked Bottles.” This was just a display that caught my eye in the 6th Street Coffee Shop in Prosser. The EP-1 does not at all feel out of place in a little coffee shop. EP-1, 1/50 at f/5.6, ISO 1600, 14-42 zoom at 24mm.
It’s better than GH1? What is the most important difference between?