Olympus E1 SLRThe first "Four Thirds" system (almost) sees the light of day!<<Executive Overview :(Previous) | (Next): Viewfinder>> Page 3:DesignReview First Posted: 06/24/2003, Updated: 03/16/2004 |
Design
From the exterior, the E-1 looks a lot like a standard 35mm SLR. Its magnesium-alloy body is solid and sturdy, and the camera's splash-proof design features no less that 64 rubber gaskets and seals. While you can't actually submerge the E-1 underwater, the camera can withstand snow and rain for a short period of time (or for that matter, probably a splash of boat spray as well). The chunky but compact body measures 5.6 x 4.1 x 3.2 inches (141 x 104 x 81 millimeters), and weighs 23 ounces (659 grams), without the memory card, battery, or lens attached.
The front of the E-1 features the FourThirds-style lens mount, which accommodates the Zuiko Digital Specific Lenses. On the right side of the lens (when looking from the front) is the lens release button, which unlocks the lens from its mount, allowing it to be turned and removed. On the opposite side of the lens, near the bottom of the lens mount, is the Depth of Field Preview button. A Custom White Balance button is above it, next to the top left corner of the lens mount, handy for quickly setting white balance manually. Also on the front panel is a large sensor window and the AF illuminator. The E-1 has a rather substantial handgrip, which angles down at the top for a view of the Shutter button. In the center of the handgrip is another sensor window.
The right side of the E-1 (as viewed from the rear) holds the CompactFlash slot and a small eyelet for attaching the neck strap. A hinged, plastic door protects the memory compartment, and is released by a switch on the rear panel. (Note that in this shot and the one below, the E-1 is sitting atop its optional power grip, which adds space for two batteries and a convenient hand grip for vertical-format shooting.)
On the opposite side of the camera are two connector compartments, along with the PC-style flash sync socket, remote control socket, and the Focus switch. The larger connector compartment is covered by a hinged, plastic door, which opens to reveal the IEEE-1394, USB, and Video Out connector terminals. The smaller connector compartment has a flexible, rubbery flap that remains tethered to the camera when opened, and holds the DC In terminal. Both the PC sync and remote control sockets have tiny plastic caps that screw on and off, of the sort that I find maddeningly easy to lose. The Focus switch in the lower left corner controls the focus mode for the lens, offering Continuous AF, Single AF, and Manual Focus modes. Also visible on this side of the camera are the Bracket, Metering, and Drive buttons, as well as the second eyelet for the neck strap.
A fair number of controls sprinkle the E-1's top panel, sharing the space with an external flash hot shoe and a small status display panel. The hot shoe has a protective plastic cover that slides in and out of place. Control buttons include the Flash, Image Quality, Light, ISO, WB (white balance), and +/- buttons, as well as the Shutter button, Command dial, Power switch, and Mode dial.
I liked the status display panel, and the good use Olympus put it to. Whenever you press one of the control buttons to change a setting (exposure compensation, white balance, ISO, etc), the current value of the chosen parameter appears in the top-panel readout. This makes for very fast/easy settings changes, without having to resort to the LCD menu system, something I always appreciate when shooting with a camera.
The remaining camera controls are on the rear panel, along with the viewfinder eyepiece and LCD monitor. (The shot above shows the camera mounted on its accessory handgrip.) A clear plastic cover protects the LCD monitor from accidental scratches, and can be easily removed. The viewfinder eyepiece is surrounded by a soft rubber cup, and has a diopter adjustment dial on the right to adjust the view for eyeglass wearers. Also above the eyepiece is a small switch that controls a shutter for blocking light from the viewfinder during long exposures. Rear panel controls include the AE Lock, Focus Area, Playback, Menu, OK, Info, Protect, and Erase buttons. There's also a Four-Way Arrow pad for navigating menu screens, a memory card slot release switch, and a Playback Zoom control dial.
The E-1's bottom panel is nice and flat, and features the battery compartment and metal tripod mount. The battery compartment door can be completely removed (as shown here), so the vertical handgrip can be attached to the camera. (A portion of the handgrip inserts into the battery compartment, and a small screw attaches to the tripod mount.)
As mentioned above, the E-1 is compatible with a vertical hand grip accessory,
which fits onto the bottom panel via the camera's tripod mount and an insert
that protrudes into the camera's battery compartment. The grip contains a larger
battery compartment, as well as a secondary set of controls for the shutter,
AE Lock, focus area, and Command dial, useful when the camera is held in the
"portrait" (vertical) orientation.
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