Observations on the L1 vs E-330

tomcat · 26th October 2006

It is quite difficult to articulate in words how I actually feel about the L1 but I'll give it a try anyway based on my experience with it during my recent Yunnan trip to list down a few things I like and dislike about it compared to the E-330 which I also owned.

What I liked:

(1) Analog controls - the feelings are very intangible and difficult to pin down. Perhaps it's nostalgia since it harks back to the days when I was still using film-based DSLRs with manual controls like that.

(2) Accurate WB - I generally find the WB of the L1 to be very accurate, more so than that of the E-330. Maybe its due to some form of an external WB analyser which according to the manual the L1 has and which would finetune whatever WB setting was selected taking into consideration the ambient light condition.

(3) Film mode - I like the way color & tone response is programmed in the L1 to ressemble the use of different types of films - Standard, Dynamic, Nature, Smooth, Standard/Dynamic/Smooth B&W ... plus 2 user programmable settings. I haven't really experimented enough with the different modes though and had just stuck to Nature for this trip.

(4) Dynamic range - I felt that the L1 has a somewhat better dynamic range algorithm than the E-330 in that it tends to blow out highlights less than the E-330 under certain difficult lighting conditions, but this could be interlink with the film mode selection used as well.

(5) Red AF Assist Light - The L1 uses this instead of the irritating strobing flash for AF Assist of the E-330/E300/E500 under low light conditions.

(6) The Leica 14-50mm lens - Sharp, OIS, great contrast, a dream to use. Need I say more?

(7) Supersonic Wave Filter - The SWF on the L1 is very fast compared to that of the Oly DSLRs. Compared to the ~2 sec delay in the E-300/E-330, the time lag for the L1 is almost non-existent to me so much so that I kept wondering if it did its job or not. Maybe because there is no blinking lights on the L1 during the cleaning process.

What I disliked:

(1) Analog controls - It is quite easy to accidentally alter the aperture setting, exposure mode, etc without knowing it when handling the camera. Did that a few times during the trip and ended up shooting at the wrong aperture and/or exposure modes for some shots. Then again this could boil down to just a learning curve as after that I made it a point to check the settings every time I want to shoot something.

(2) Live View - next to useless without the articulated LCD screen and Mode A implementation. The double slapping of the mirror and the delay it incurred are both really irritating and distracting. I ended up never using the Live View mode at all during the trip.

(3) Weight/Balance - The camera and lens combination is quite heavy made worse by the CG being off-centred due to the heavy Leica lens. This is of course moot when you slap on the even heavier 7-14mm lens. I think the L1 would be a joy to carry around if the 50mm or 35mm lens was attached though.

(4) Dull colors under heavily overcast and low light conditions - This was something that kind of stuck out in my memory but then maybe it could be compensated for by changing the film mode or something like that which i didn't really have the time to try out.

Overall... I really like the images produced by the L1 as that is the most important consideration as far as I am concerned. The other flaws I can either live with or work around.

weekh · 26th October 2006

good review!

how do u find the size of the body and lens? and how's the battery life?

BigBird · 27th October 2006

Originally Posted by tomcat

Overall... I really like the images produced by the L1 as that is the most important consideration as far as I am concerned. The other flaws I can either live with or work around.

If I may ask, what specific characteristics regarding the L1's IQ that you really liked?

tomcat · 27th October 2006

Originally Posted by weekh

good review!

how do u find the size of the body and lens? and how's the battery life?

The body is actually very light, in fact lighter than the E-330. It is the lens that is heavy... but it is a Leica and surely it would be suspect if the lens had turned out to be light, don't you think?

I would think that if the L1 body is teamed up with a small and light ZD lens like the 50mm or 35mm, it would be a breeze to use for street shooting. And it would look more like a rangefinder camera.

Battery life is normal. My impression is that it is about the same as the E-330 for my style of shooting.

tomcat · 27th October 2006

Originally Posted by BigBird

If I may ask, what specific characteristics regarding the L1's IQ that you really liked?

I like the colours and tonality of the images... reminds me of transparencies. However, I have not tried out the various film modes yet as I have stuck mainly to the 'Nature' mode for this trip. There could be more versatility in the combination of colours and tones for different usages that I have not as yet identified.

microcosm · 27th October 2006

Originally Posted by tomcat

I like the colours and tonality of the images... reminds me of transparencies. However, I have not tried out the various film modes yet as I have stuck mainly to the 'Nature' mode for this trip. There could be more versatility in the combination of colours and tones for different usages that I have not as yet identified.

Hi Tomcat, was wondering if you shot them mainly in RAW or JPG?

tomcat · 27th October 2006

Originally Posted by microcosm

Hi Tomcat, was wondering if you shot them mainly in RAW or JPG?

I have always shot in RAW.

hazmee · 27th October 2006

I want a L1!!!

microcosm · 27th October 2006

Originally Posted by hazmee

I want a L1!!!

Buy buy buy... then welcome to the family of Four Thirds... when we "kaki" enough... borrow the 14-50mm ok? I lend you 14-54mm.... 4 more mm... good deal right?

26th October 2006	#1
tomcat Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,463	Observations on the L1 vs E-330 It is quite difficult to articulate in words how I actually feel about the L1 but I'll give it a try anyway based on my experience with it during my recent Yunnan trip to list down a few things I like and dislike about it compared to the E-330 which I also owned. What I liked: (1) Analog controls - the feelings are very intangible and difficult to pin down. Perhaps it's nostalgia since it harks back to the days when I was still using film-based DSLRs with manual controls like that. (2) Accurate WB - I generally find the WB of the L1 to be very accurate, more so than that of the E-330. Maybe its due to some form of an external WB analyser which according to the manual the L1 has and which would finetune whatever WB setting was selected taking into consideration the ambient light condition. (3) Film mode - I like the way color & tone response is programmed in the L1 to ressemble the use of different types of films - Standard, Dynamic, Nature, Smooth, Standard/Dynamic/Smooth B&W ... plus 2 user programmable settings. I haven't really experimented enough with the different modes though and had just stuck to Nature for this trip. (4) Dynamic range - I felt that the L1 has a somewhat better dynamic range algorithm than the E-330 in that it tends to blow out highlights less than the E-330 under certain difficult lighting conditions, but this could be interlink with the film mode selection used as well. (5) Red AF Assist Light - The L1 uses this instead of the irritating strobing flash for AF Assist of the E-330/E300/E500 under low light conditions. (6) The Leica 14-50mm lens - Sharp, OIS, great contrast, a dream to use. Need I say more? (7) Supersonic Wave Filter - The SWF on the L1 is very fast compared to that of the Oly DSLRs. Compared to the ~2 sec delay in the E-300/E-330, the time lag for the L1 is almost non-existent to me so much so that I kept wondering if it did its job or not. Maybe because there is no blinking lights on the L1 during the cleaning process. What I disliked: (1) Analog controls - It is quite easy to accidentally alter the aperture setting, exposure mode, etc without knowing it when handling the camera. Did that a few times during the trip and ended up shooting at the wrong aperture and/or exposure modes for some shots. Then again this could boil down to just a learning curve as after that I made it a point to check the settings every time I want to shoot something. (2) Live View - next to useless without the articulated LCD screen and Mode A implementation. The double slapping of the mirror and the delay it incurred are both really irritating and distracting. I ended up never using the Live View mode at all during the trip. (3) Weight/Balance - The camera and lens combination is quite heavy made worse by the CG being off-centred due to the heavy Leica lens. This is of course moot when you slap on the even heavier 7-14mm lens. I think the L1 would be a joy to carry around if the 50mm or 35mm lens was attached though. (4) Dull colors under heavily overcast and low light conditions - This was something that kind of stuck out in my memory but then maybe it could be compensated for by changing the film mode or something like that which i didn't really have the time to try out. Overall... I really like the images produced by the L1 as that is the most important consideration as far as I am concerned. The other flaws I can either live with or work around. __________________ Fish Pics:http://www.pbase.com/pschia/oddballs IR Pics:http://www.pbase.com/pschia/infra_red Last edited by tomcat; 2nd November 2006 at 12:03 AM.

26th October 2006	#2
weekh Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 3,368	Re: Observations on the L1 vs E-330 good review! how do u find the size of the body and lens? and how's the battery life?

27th October 2006	#8
hazmee Senior Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Teban Gardens Posts: 2,610	Re: Observations on the L1 vs E-330 I want a L1!!! __________________ The hideout // My flickr page