Anyone got an Olympus EPL1? How well does it it focus?

[afd]

Hi, I have had an EPL1 for about 6 months now, I like it a lot, but it does seem to have more difficulty focusing than any other camera I've owned.
It's usually fine outdoors in daylight, but indoors in low to quite reasonably lit scenes it struggles to focus and I find myself resorting to manual focusing which isn't easy at all. I'm beginning to wonder if I have a duff one, so would be interested in other opinions on the camera.

 

[El Cabong]

The original version of Olympus' 14-42mm lens (included with the E-P1/2 and E-PL1) was notoriously slow at autofocusing. The newer versions of the lens are much better, though contrast-detect autofocus (used in most mirrorless cameras) is far inferior to phase-detect autofocus (used in DSLRs) in low light. It doesn't help that the E-PL1 lacks an autofocus assist lamp.

In any case, it doesn't seem like you have a dud, though you might try finding a store with a straightforward return policy to buy and test out either a different copy of your current lens (and/or camera), a newer version of that lens, or a different lens altogether (such as the excellent Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 or Olympus 45mm f/1.8) as a comparison in low-moderate indoor lighting conditions.

 

[BillMidwest]

I also own an EPL-1 and everything El Cabong wrote is correct. The kit lens is slow, but for a kit lens it is sharp; much sharper than the 18-55 kit lens on my Rebel.

If ambient/low light photography is a priority for you I suggest taking a look at the Sony NEX-5N. An in-depth review is on dpreview.com. You'll still have to deal with contrast detection auto-focus, but it is faster than any other non-SLR. There are also two features available when using manual focus; one which will magnify the image and another to indicate with colored stripes when your subject is properly focused. Sony also claims the fastest shutter release with the 5N when using its electronic front curtain shutter.

 

[VI™]

I also own an EPL-1 and everything El Cabong wrote is correct. The kit lens is slow, but for a kit lens it is sharp; much sharper than the 18-55 kit lens on my Rebel.

If ambient/low light photography is a priority for you I suggest taking a look at the Sony NEX-5N. An in-depth review is on dpreview.com. You'll still have to deal with contrast detection auto-focus, but it is faster than any other non-SLR. There are also two features available when using manual focus; one which will magnify the image and another to indicate with colored stripes when your subject is properly focused. Sony also claims the fastest shutter release with the 5N when using its electronic front curtain shutter.

Olympus claims they have the world's fasest auto focus.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/corporate/corp_presscenter_headline.asp?pressNo=855

E Photozine testing has the Nex at .4 seonds and the Oly at .2 seonds.

http://www.ephotozine.com/article/olympus-e-p3-vs-panasonic-gf3-vs-sony-nex-5-vs-samsung-nx11-17084

 

[afd]

Sorry, forgot I posted this but thanks for replies. I took camera back to shop and they thought it faulty, tried display model and it was miles better than mine. It is being sent back to Olympus for repair. Wish I'd taken it back sooner.

 

[maflynn]

Wish I'd taken it back sooner.

I had an issue with a Nikon lens for my DSLR, that it was producing soft images and higher then expected chromatic aberrations. I thought it was me, but as I did more research I found the lens to be defective.

My point is, that with cameras it really does take time to isolate some problems, but I'm glad that you are getting this problem resolved.

 

[afd]

Got camera back and focusing completely fine now. Only thing I'm not so keen on is the lack of viewfinder. Should have probably got a VF3 instead of the 40-150mm extra lens that I've yet to use.