Howdy fellow digital photogs!
Hope you're doing well.
My first digital camera was an Olympus E-1 DSLR in 2004 - YIKES.
It was the first digital camera that produced results that were reminiscent of my prior film photography.
I enjoyed using it for years. It was bullet-proof. The lenses were great.
I posted this tongue-in-cheek review on DPReview after using it for a year circa 10/2005.
I found this on a backup HD and thought it would be fun to share today.
Remarkably, camera reviews haven't changed much in 15 years.
I present it within the limitations of DPReview at that time.
Enjoy
...
The REVIEW:
Shocking results!!! I compared my E1 to...
... a pineapple.
*****
E1 vs. a Pineapple
*****
Ergonomics:
My E1 fits my hand like a glove and I can carry it around all day without any trouble. The pineapple stem inflicts enough damage to your hand that holding it for more than an hour can be problematic. A trip to the doctor's office for some novocaine shots and bandages on my hand took care of the pain and lacerations but it was still a little hard to hold after that. You're going to need some heavy gloves for an all day shoot with the pineapple. The E1 has a slight advantage here.
The buttons, switches and knobs on the E1 are well placed and have become intuitive to use after a year of shooting with the E1. The pineapple however is the clear winner here because it has no buttons whatsoever.
My E1's viewfinder is 100% and shows important camera settings at the bottom of the finder. It is bright enough that I routinely use manual focus without any problems. But once again the pineapple is the winner here. Despite the fact that it lacks a viewfinder of any sort, you can carve a hole through it of any size or shape to serve as your viewfinder. Advantage clearly goes to the pineapple!
The weight of the pineapple is comparable to the E1 with a lens attached so this is a wash. They both fit into my small Domke camera bag easily. The pineapple is a little faster to use for a quick grab shot because it lacks a power switch. It is effectively always on and ready to shoot. The E1 must first be activated by flipping on the well-placed power switch. The pineapple's total lack of a start-up lag wins it another point.
*****
Optics:
The E1 can use any of the expanding line of fine Zuiko Digital lenses and older Olympus lenses with the OM adapter. The pineapple wins this one though. It's simple design allows it to use any lens ever made. They all fit if you jam them on hard enough. This is the beauty of the no lens-mount design philosophy. Score another one for the pineapple!
*****
RAW file handling:
RAW files are used to extract the most from any digital camera with RAW capability and I shoot RAW exclusively on my E1. I use Olympus Studio v1.32 to covert my RAW shots into fine Tiffs and jpgs. There are many good RAW converters available for the E1's RAW file output and they all have their fans.
The RAW files coming out of the pineapple really shine. The only RAW converter you need is a really sharp knife. The speed of file conversion is only limited by your dexterity with the knife. You can extract juicy files of any size and format from the pineapple. The lack of the need of RAW converter software makes the pineapple the obvious winner in the RAW department.
*****
General Thoughts:
The E1 uses CF cards that currently can hold as much as 4GB. The pineapple accepts any format memory cards as long as you cut a slot into it of the appropriate size. You can even use different format cards simultaneously! This is an amazing engineering feat that other camera makers should emulate.
The E1 requires you to purchase batteries made specifically for Olympus cameras. You will need to purchase a special AC adapter to power the E1 from a wall outlet. With the pineapple you can jam any batteries you happen to have laying around into it. You can even plug it into any wall outlet by using a suitable length of ordinary extension cord. No special adapters are required. A slight crackling sound and a faint smoke smell were the only drawbacks to using AC power with the pineapple. You may want to keep a fire extinguisher and some spare fuses handy when using AC power.
*****
Picture Taking:
My E1 has taken thousands of images that are simply stunning. The pineapple lags a just a little in the picture quality department. There must be a defect in my pineapple's Automatic White Balance function because all of the files out of it had a strange yellowish cast and were dripping a sticky juice. A little post-processing and a damp sponge can clean this right up though. The E1 comes out a little bit ahead here.
The E1 has an anti-shock feature and cable release socket for long exposures with minimal camera shake. The cable release is an electronic Olympus proprietary type. Old-fashioned mechanical cable releases will not work on the E1. The pineapple's lack of a moving mirror make the need for a mirror lock-up moot. You can use a long pointy stick to trigger the pineapple from a distance without the need to touch the pineapple directly. Of course you can also just screw a mechanical cable release into the pineapple skin. The pineapple comes out ahead again.
Both are well sealed against the elements with tough weather-sealed bodies. This is a draw between the E1 and the pineapple unless you shoot a lot in very warm climates. Here the E1 comes out ahead for long-term use as it is effectively rot-proof.
The pineapple's symmetric design allows for easy vertical compositions and panoramic shots when skewered onto a suitable tripod. This is a clear improvement over the E1's tripod socket placement and asymmetric design.
*****
Conclusion:
While the E1 has served me well for over a year now, it is getting a little old in terms of megapixels. Along comes the boldly designed pineapple. It is clearly a superior imaging machine that remains as fresh as the day I bought it. That is, until I cut holes in it for the viewfinder and card slots. Plugging it into a wall outlet didn't do it any favors either.
Despite a slight yellow cast in all of the files from it, the pineapple's versatile design allows it to surpass the E1 in most digital camera function categories. Until the E1's successor E3 is released, a photographer can do no better than to carry a pineapple around in their camera bag.
*****
Thanks for Reading,
Ed Kreminski
--
... dancing barefoot, bathed in light
and reaching for every star in sight...
Hope you're doing well.
My first digital camera was an Olympus E-1 DSLR in 2004 - YIKES.
It was the first digital camera that produced results that were reminiscent of my prior film photography.
I enjoyed using it for years. It was bullet-proof. The lenses were great.
I posted this tongue-in-cheek review on DPReview after using it for a year circa 10/2005.
I found this on a backup HD and thought it would be fun to share today.
Remarkably, camera reviews haven't changed much in 15 years.
I present it within the limitations of DPReview at that time.
Enjoy
...The REVIEW:
Shocking results!!! I compared my E1 to...
... a pineapple.
*****
E1 vs. a Pineapple
*****
Ergonomics:
My E1 fits my hand like a glove and I can carry it around all day without any trouble. The pineapple stem inflicts enough damage to your hand that holding it for more than an hour can be problematic. A trip to the doctor's office for some novocaine shots and bandages on my hand took care of the pain and lacerations but it was still a little hard to hold after that. You're going to need some heavy gloves for an all day shoot with the pineapple. The E1 has a slight advantage here.
The buttons, switches and knobs on the E1 are well placed and have become intuitive to use after a year of shooting with the E1. The pineapple however is the clear winner here because it has no buttons whatsoever.
My E1's viewfinder is 100% and shows important camera settings at the bottom of the finder. It is bright enough that I routinely use manual focus without any problems. But once again the pineapple is the winner here. Despite the fact that it lacks a viewfinder of any sort, you can carve a hole through it of any size or shape to serve as your viewfinder. Advantage clearly goes to the pineapple!
The weight of the pineapple is comparable to the E1 with a lens attached so this is a wash. They both fit into my small Domke camera bag easily. The pineapple is a little faster to use for a quick grab shot because it lacks a power switch. It is effectively always on and ready to shoot. The E1 must first be activated by flipping on the well-placed power switch. The pineapple's total lack of a start-up lag wins it another point.
*****
Optics:
The E1 can use any of the expanding line of fine Zuiko Digital lenses and older Olympus lenses with the OM adapter. The pineapple wins this one though. It's simple design allows it to use any lens ever made. They all fit if you jam them on hard enough. This is the beauty of the no lens-mount design philosophy. Score another one for the pineapple!
*****
RAW file handling:
RAW files are used to extract the most from any digital camera with RAW capability and I shoot RAW exclusively on my E1. I use Olympus Studio v1.32 to covert my RAW shots into fine Tiffs and jpgs. There are many good RAW converters available for the E1's RAW file output and they all have their fans.
The RAW files coming out of the pineapple really shine. The only RAW converter you need is a really sharp knife. The speed of file conversion is only limited by your dexterity with the knife. You can extract juicy files of any size and format from the pineapple. The lack of the need of RAW converter software makes the pineapple the obvious winner in the RAW department.
*****
General Thoughts:
The E1 uses CF cards that currently can hold as much as 4GB. The pineapple accepts any format memory cards as long as you cut a slot into it of the appropriate size. You can even use different format cards simultaneously! This is an amazing engineering feat that other camera makers should emulate.
The E1 requires you to purchase batteries made specifically for Olympus cameras. You will need to purchase a special AC adapter to power the E1 from a wall outlet. With the pineapple you can jam any batteries you happen to have laying around into it. You can even plug it into any wall outlet by using a suitable length of ordinary extension cord. No special adapters are required. A slight crackling sound and a faint smoke smell were the only drawbacks to using AC power with the pineapple. You may want to keep a fire extinguisher and some spare fuses handy when using AC power.
*****
Picture Taking:
My E1 has taken thousands of images that are simply stunning. The pineapple lags a just a little in the picture quality department. There must be a defect in my pineapple's Automatic White Balance function because all of the files out of it had a strange yellowish cast and were dripping a sticky juice. A little post-processing and a damp sponge can clean this right up though. The E1 comes out a little bit ahead here.
The E1 has an anti-shock feature and cable release socket for long exposures with minimal camera shake. The cable release is an electronic Olympus proprietary type. Old-fashioned mechanical cable releases will not work on the E1. The pineapple's lack of a moving mirror make the need for a mirror lock-up moot. You can use a long pointy stick to trigger the pineapple from a distance without the need to touch the pineapple directly. Of course you can also just screw a mechanical cable release into the pineapple skin. The pineapple comes out ahead again.
Both are well sealed against the elements with tough weather-sealed bodies. This is a draw between the E1 and the pineapple unless you shoot a lot in very warm climates. Here the E1 comes out ahead for long-term use as it is effectively rot-proof.
The pineapple's symmetric design allows for easy vertical compositions and panoramic shots when skewered onto a suitable tripod. This is a clear improvement over the E1's tripod socket placement and asymmetric design.
*****
Conclusion:
While the E1 has served me well for over a year now, it is getting a little old in terms of megapixels. Along comes the boldly designed pineapple. It is clearly a superior imaging machine that remains as fresh as the day I bought it. That is, until I cut holes in it for the viewfinder and card slots. Plugging it into a wall outlet didn't do it any favors either.
Despite a slight yellow cast in all of the files from it, the pineapple's versatile design allows it to surpass the E1 in most digital camera function categories. Until the E1's successor E3 is released, a photographer can do no better than to carry a pineapple around in their camera bag.
*****
Thanks for Reading,
Ed Kreminski
--
... dancing barefoot, bathed in light
and reaching for every star in sight...
Last edited: