the Olympus PEN series
 

I recently came across an Olympus PEN EP-1, and it peaked my interest.
I was curious if anyone knew if the video was anything particularly impressive. The guy I was talking to seemed to love it, and he said he was using 20 year old lenses, which gave it a more 35mm-like quality. However, I haven't been able to find many examples online?

Just a little curious.

There's some great looking samples on Vimeo. Only 1280x720p though.

It's 720p at 30fps but that's ok if you're not mixing it with 24p footage. The EP-2 or new EPL-1 give you full manual control in video mode so might be better options. The two latter ones are also compatible with the EVF attachment which could be handy in many situations. I'm considering getting the EPL-1 because they've announced an underwater housing for it which should make a nice compact underwater package.

This commercial was shot with the Pen:
YouTube - The Amazing Olympus PEN E-PL1

I was just going to post this up. I saw it last night on Food Network or Travel Channel. That caused me to pause and re-think video with still cameras (DSLR, etc.).

Heck, Ken Rockwell jokingly said Nikon should shoot D90 commercials on a D90, but he wasn't serious. I'm very interested in this camera now, esp. since I sold My D60.

Heath

Have you all seen their augmented reality video? You print out a "marker" and hold it up to your web cam in a well-lit room, and it will create a virtual 3D camera! Check out the demo:

3-D PEN Virtual Tour

Maybe I've been asleep or something, but wow, I guess we're achieving basically real-time FX.

Heath

What a great way to demo a camera without even touching it!

Yeah, I thought so. Very cool--nothing I've ever seen before.

Heath

that is a brilliant marketing creation!

the video is actually pretty decent; im holding out to test it against a sony NEX-5, as im looking for something small, light, interchangeable lenses, and with HD video to just keep in my car instead of dragging my D300 or D3s.

I just discovered the Sony NEX cameras, which look to be good competitors of the PEN, Panasonic and Samsung.

Heath

I just bought one, and I must admit, I was a sucker for the TV commercial I saw for it. I was very intrigued by the video capability but was more interested in it as a still camera. I like the Micro Four Thirds and Four Thirds lens systems.

So far I haven't been able to get the truly impressive video out of it that was obtained in making the TV spot. I didn't think I would be able to right out of the box and I'm working on getting a workflow developed for it. Here's an interesting behind the scenes video of the TV spot.

YouTube - Behind the Scenes: Making the Amazing Olympus PEN E-PL1 TV Ad

Keep in mind, they had a ton of great talent, G&E and more to make their commercial look great. It's all about talent and lights to make a consumer camera look great. And some good color correcting.

Heath

Heath, I agree. I think it's more about lighting, lens selection, and working within the limitations of the camera and codec. I'm just trying to find those limitations and a few other folks who might have tried it.

No 24p is rough, to be sure. I wish it was at least 1080i60.

heath

The lack of 24p was not an issue for me. Just trying to find a work flow. I've discovered that turning off image stabilization helps since it's digital stabilization rather than optical. I convert to ProRes 422 before editing. I'm not planning to shoot video professionally with it, stills maybe, but for my own personal use I get a thrill out of getting the most I can out of the low budget quality gear that I can afford. As for work, we shoot with a variety of stuff, RED One, 5D Mk II, EX1, XL-H1.

Here's a link to some test shots with the E-PL1:

Continuous AF
 

Does it have continuous focus tracking in video mode?

continuous focus mode in EP2
 

I have found the answer myself. I have already bought the EP2 with the 17mm lens. I have also tried the GF1 with 14-140 of my friend. The continuous focus mode in EP2 is useless for video as it hunts for focus. You need to familiarize its limitations before you can bet some good video clips from it.

The GF1 is definately the best choice if you just want video. Its continuous focus mode is very smooth and it also has face detection in video mode too!

I do not regret in getting the EP2 as I also use it for photos. It art filters are fun!