Super Deal on Olympus E-PL1 with kit zoom. NEW – $266! Also, Zeiss Sonnar in STOCK!

February 29, 2012 Deal of the Day, Olympus, Zeiss 15

Just saw this deal at Amazon! For those wanting to give Micro 4/3 a try this is a steal of a deal. The Olympus E-PL1 with kit zoom, brand new in box for $266. It’s even fulfilled by Amazon. My review of this camera is HERE.

GET IN ON THIS CRAZY DEAL NOW! $266! 

AND

Also, just saw that the black Zeiss 50 Sonnar f/1.5 is IN STOCK at B&H Photo today! These ALWAYS sell out within minutes.

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15 Comments

  1. I usually shoot a Sony a560 and a230. But being on this site has made me sell my a230 for an NEX system. And now that I saw this…I bought it. smh @ myself. ARE YOU HAPPY STEVE?! lol

    • So this site is a big part of why I bought the a33 and the epl1. LOL. When doing research on Dslr types and I first came across the a33 I did a search for reviews and Steve’s was one of the in-depth without being too pixel obsessed. Plus he used it in very real world situations. Then when I was search for a backup camera and was looking at other alpha bodies (I have 5 lenses) the only ones that really got me pumps were out of my range at the moment and I needed one fast, plus the m43s were really intriguing after visiting this site so often. Steve’s review, though snapshot focused, showed the epl1 to be a VERY capable camera for a ridiculously reasonable price.

  2. Interesting ‘heads-up’ notices are always much appreciated. I’d only suggest that prospective takers consider some additional bits of info. — As of a couple weeks ago, I’ve seen the Olympus E-PM1 kit new from a dealer on eBay for $404 and change (and on sale at $424 directly from Olympus!); how low will this aggressively priced package go before long? That current TruePic VI processor seems to be an unexpectedly big step up: finally no apologies necessary for pokey or unavailable auto-focus performance… surely a huge plus for attracting the more savvy eBay shoppers when you want to resell it in order to help finance your OM-D. In fact, Olympus candidly told me that processing is somewhat improved here over even the E-P3 [“The E-PL3 and E-PM1 are a few months newer, and we learned a few things after releasing the E-P3.” That’s near verbatim. BTW, on the heels of that, I got my E-PM1 kit as a new, unopened, unwanted “gift” on FeeBay back in December for $375 delivered — one of the 1000 kits Olympus gave away on the Ellen Show, circumstances strongly suggest…]

    Also, the current IIR version of the kit zoom, while “plastic-y”, is down to a fully-pocketable 4 oz.size (!), is inherently faster to auto-focus, and is billed as “silent” for shooting video (again, no small consideration for non-enthusiast eBay shoppers… and now, for new OM-D owners needing a small, convenient video lens for their newly “Jello-free” Olympus video output!). It makes an O.K. wide angle/short tele lens to have in your pocket whenever you just want to run around mainly using the 20mm Panasonic ‘pancake’ prime, so I’m keeping mine despite having 20mm & 45mm M4/3 primes, the 28mm and 90mm Zeiss/Kyocera glass adapted from my ‘new’ Contax G-system [Darn you, Mr. Hussain, and your stunning Pakistan photos!], and the fine Zuiko 14-54mm Mk II ‘zoom’ w/ MMF-2. In any event, good luck M4/3 shoppers!

    • I don’t really find the epl1 all that pokey in the AF. Maybe in darker situations but even compared to the a33 which is a pretty zippy AF system the Epl1 is pretty respectable. I think for the price this a great camera for the new enthusiast or the budget minded serious photographer that may need a fun back-up for emergency or travel uses. Plus crazily enough I know of a photographer who used this for a wedding. I know nutty. Lol

      • The E-PL1 (or E-PL2) is the better-looking, better-feeling choice, for sure. But Chris at Olympus and I had a long conversation about the PEN system in December when I was just starting to look (I’d asked specifically who a former semi-pro needed to speak with) — I’d never owned ANY digital camera, due to just being completely out of the game and always seeing those “deal-breakers” when I did look — and she was VERY candid: I asked the hard and detailed questions, and she related in detail her personal experiences with these cameras. That’s what sold me on the generation 3 line.

        • Oh you definitely dropped some important points and I wouldn’t want to hold any one back from the right tool. When I was looking for my DSLR type I was pretty much just getting the Nikon/Canon speeches but neither the d3100 or the t3i (which were in my price range) thrilled me too much. It wasn’t until I saw a video on the Sony a33 and my pulse quickened. LOL
          so I hope whoever is looking a camera does as much research as you and i did.
          What camera did you jump into? I didn’t notice in your original post.

          • Sorry for being pokey to get back on this… but you may have noticed above that I went for an Olympus E-PM1 — a nice deal for a new one from a private seller on eBay. I added the VF-2 EVFinder, the 14-54mm f.2.8-3.5 Mk II [important distinction] ‘zoom’ from the 4/3’s E-system + MMF-2 adapter (also to be used with the goes-cheap-used 40-150mm f.3.5-4.5 tele ‘zoom’)… then the 20mm f.1.7 Panasonic and Olympus 45mm f.1.8 primes… all from eBay.

            But wait! — as the TV hucksters like to say… I added in March a Contax G1 35mm film camera with the super-duper Zeiss-Kyocera Biogon 28mm f.2.8 and Sonnar 90mm f.2.8 (from eBay). The beauty of this (I’m hoping) is that these rangefinder lenses are adaptable to m4/3’s bodies (at the 2x crop factor, of course), which is very cool, given the exalted reputation of this glass. An effective 180mm f.2.8 prime with classic-look rangefinder style & construction and weighing around 7 ounces — now that, I do think, is something else as a complement to the effective 90mm focal length of the Olympus prime. …With image stabilization to boot — on Olympus, of course.

            AND have you seen as yet Robin Wong’s 2-day (but remarkably thorough) user test of the new Olympus OM-D 16mp “high end” camera? That’s Robin Wong in Kuala Lumpur (I think), not the one in Canada, BTW. Well, doc, that 3-parter certainly got my attention: you won’t believe the low-light, low-noise performance of the m4/3’s system here! I wasn’t expecting THIS from the new sensor [NOT the same as Panasonic’s 16mp] and latest Tru Pic VI implementation. So, I guess, I’m 95% sold on that — whew! I’m just working out the best strategy from here… I think I’ve jumped into this game fully now! Good luck with your choices.

          • Much more on this new system of mine and how I plan to use it — If you’re interested — under Ibraar Hussain’s mid-March post: ‘Using Film for Black & White Photography’. I discussed this rangefinder lens on m4/3’s thing in some detail, prompted by Ibraar’s questions coming back to me. I’d hoped there might be something there to spark some creative thought about options among other readers here: I don’t think I’ve crawled too far out on any limbs here… we’ll see.

  3. I really want that lens! Small problem, I own neither a body to put it on nor the money to purchase either 😀

    But really, on mirrorless the focus shift doesn’t matter anyway!

  4. I saw it being advertised on eBay last week as a special deal for $199.00 body only brand new. I decided I’d rather spend $1100.00 more and buy the OM-D.. Which I did! $266 with the kit lens would make a great gift for someone.

    • Actually my mistake it’s the EP-1 being sold for $199.00 body only,not the E-PL1… I repeat E-P1 for $199.00 that’s a slamming deal!!!!!! It’s still available!

  5. Got the epl1 at a very similar cost. Love it! Fantastic second camera when my Sony a33 is a bit much. Been recommending it to lots

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