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Tuesday September 22, 2009
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The Micro Four Thirds Olympus E-P1 offers DSLR image quality but is much smaller than most DSLRs. This camera is pleasing on so many levels--but disappointing when it comes to auto-focusing speed. Not only is it not as fast as a tradition DSLR, but even some point-and-shoots offer faster performance. ( See our full review on PC Mag.com)
Earlier this month, Olympus released firmware updates to the E-P1's body,14-42mm, and 17mm lenses. The purpose of the updates: to improve focusing speeds.
I spent some time today with the E-P1, 14-42mm lens, Shooting Digital's Shutter Lag test, and I've come to the conclusion there's not much improvement in focusing speeds. Before the update, the camera took an average of 1.3 seconds to focus and shoot. After the update, it averaged 1.2 seconds. A traditional DSLR with auto-focus can focus in less than half that time; the Canon D50 averages just .5 seconds.
Not all Micro Four Thirds Cameras are this slow. The Micro
Four Thirds standard uses contrast measurement auto-focus, which is
typically found in point-and-shoots; this focusing system allows Micro
Four Thirds to build smaller cameras. DSLRs use auto-focus systems called phase-detection auto-focus, which means the cameras are larger but much faster. Micro Four-Thirds claims to have improved
their camera's contrast measurement auto-focusing speeds to feel more
like those of a DSLR. But only some of them have actually are that fast: See our full review of the Panasonic Lumix GH1 on PC Mag.com.
Hopefully
Olympus will be able to get the E-P1's focusing speed on a par with Panasonic's cameras. I spent some time with
Panasonic's up-and-coming E-P1-size camera, the Panasonic Lumix GF1,
and its focusing felt just as fast that of the GH1. Watch for a
full review on PC Mag.com very soon.
Posted By:
PJ Jacobowitz
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September 23, 2009 5:24 AM
Thanks for the test, but are you sure that you have updated both the body And the lens? It doesn't update both at the same time.
September 23, 2009 6:29 AM
I tested the Olympus 14-42 in poor indoor light and S-AF. The camera settings were ISO1600, 1/15s f/3.5 - i.e. at the 14mm end. I consistently get around 1s for focus and shoot speed. Up the light level a bit to ISO1600, 1/400s and f/3.5 and I get the same focus and shoot speeds.
Just judging the time to lock focus (easy to do on the Olymus lens as the focus motor is so noisy), it seems to be around 0.9s and 0.7s. These of course are estimates as I don't have any fancy timing gear.
It seems very odd that the press to shoot time didn't improve despite the increase in lighting levels.
I have also tried the same with the Panasonic 45-200 zoom at the 45mm end and f/4. It is harder to judge the focus lock speed as this lens is essentially silent. Focus and shoot speed is around 1s and 0.5s respectively. I was surprised that the Panasonic lens did not do better in the poorer light. Maybe the loss of about 1/3 stop makes a difference.
September 23, 2009 7:04 AM
I just did some re-tests using the widget and have discovered why your speeds are much lower than mine.
When shooting at a distance when the timer occupies a fair portion of the screen, say around 0.4m, I started getting times of between 1.3 to 1.1s with around 1.2s average (this is with the 14-42 zoom).
Move away to a distance of around 1.5m and zoom in and the times dropped down to between 0.9s and 1s.
What I found quite interesting was the pre-focus time of around 0.1s. I thought it was much slower than that.
The Panasonic 45-200 was achieving mostly 0.7 with the occassional stray shot at 0.8s when shooting from around 1.5m.
September 23, 2009 8:27 PM
Hey all, thanks for the comments.
Mattias - I did update the body and the lens. Before the updates, the body and lens both had firmware 1.0. I then updated the body and then the lens to firmware 1.1 (as seen in the image above.)
October 7, 2009 6:33 AM
Exceptional image quality right up there with any midrange DSLR to my eyes. It's very cool looking. Lack of flash is not a negative issue as most built in flashes while convenient are useless anyway. Compatibility with a wide range of 4/3 lenses.