Olympus Pen EP-3

[gstark]

I've just taken delivery of a Pen EP-3 twin lens kit, for review.

I think you all will recall that I was quite enamoured of the original Pen, and so far, with just a couple of minutes in my hands, I am mightily impressed.

One of the problems with the original Pen was the lack of a built-in flash. This has now been addressed. And the LCD screen on the back is big and bright.

And touch sensitive.

Seriously: compose, touch the screen where you want the image to be focused, and presto: the camera acquires focus at that location, and then makes the image.

So far I've basically just taken the camera out of the box, mounted the 14-42, and taken a couple of shots inside my lounge room.

And again, I'm impressed.

Give me a few days, and I'll post more details.

And an image or three.

[sirhc55]

Yep, I have a feeling that my EP1 and EP2 will soon have a brother

[Murray Foote]

If you were to have one of those i think the new 12mm f2 and 45mm f1.8 would be quite tempting. Not necessarily cheap but tempting because they would provide a much more compact camera than the zooms.

[gstark]

Murray,

Absobloodylutely.

But with an OM adapter, you can also grab some very good legacy OM glass. Perhaps not quite compact, but it'll most certainly be as sharp as hell.

Chris, have you had a play with the newest Sony yet? It'll make you smile.

[sirhc55]

No Gary - I have a slight aversion to Sony cameras but I can always be tempted

[Reschsmooth]

And touch sensitive.

Seriously: compose, touch the screen where you want the image to be focused, and presto: the camera acquires focus at that location, and then makes the image.

And I can see a day when the touch screen will allow you to effectively paint a graduated ND filter directly via the camera interface rather than a physical filter. This may include multi-point filters which aren't in a straight line!

[gstark]

And this presser came in earlier today

Do you capture ordinary details in extraordinary ways? Do you love to take photos that shock, surprise or inspire? Olympus challenges you to test-drive the new Olympus PEN E-PL3 to capture snaps that are Anything But Ordinary, which could become the star of the new Olympus advertising campaign.

Open to budding camera and photography enthusiasts, from students interested in street photography through to anyone interested capturing the unpredictable, Olympus will select twenty individuals to take part. Armed with nothing but an Olympus PEN E-PL3 and their creative eye, participants will be given free rein to shoot unpredictable images and be amongst some of the first in the country to showcase the camera’s artistic features and produce authentic, unpredictable images.

“Not everyone who loves photography wants to be a professional photographer. We’re searching for savvy amateur photographers; real people who all have a different view point on what real photography means to them,” said Kristie Radtke, Product Manager, PEN and DSLR at Olympus Australia.

“Olympus’ Anything But Ordinary campaign is set to celebrate the unexpected, the out of the ordinary and the absolutely unpredictable. We are calling on everyday Australians to give us their take on ‘Anything But Ordinary’. In return, Olympus will provide them with their very own PEN E-PL3 camera to test drive and the opportunity to showcase their very best photographs in Olympus’ next advertising campaign.”

Photography enthusiasts who are keen to try out the E-PL3 from the new PEN range of Next Generation System Cameras need to submit three examples of their personal photography and fill out a short questionnaire on the Olympus Facebook page. Submissions will open from Friday 26 August to Thursday 8 September. Selected participants will be notified by Wednesday 14 September before being issued with an Olympus PEN E-PL3 and an ‘Anything But Ordinary’ brief. More information can be found at the Olympus Facebook page http://www.facebook.com.au/OlympusAU and at http://www.olympus.com.au/promotions.

Follow Olympus Imaging Australia on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/Olympus.AU or Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/Olympus_AU or search for username @Olympus_AU

I've not checked the Ts&Cs (I don't do FaceBook) so I have no idea of whatr the IP situation is with these, but it may be worthwhile for someone to check it out.

[surenj]

Gary, please post some pics for us to see.

effectively paint a graduated ND filter directly via the camera interface rather than a physical filter. This may include multi-point filters which aren't in a straight line!

Definitely hanging out for that feature.

[aim54x]

It will be good to hear what you think about the camera.

[Murray Foote]

I've been thinking of these kind of cameras recently. I've been thinking of what I can get to complement (rather than replace) my large format DSLR kit, that will fit in a coat pocket, have good image quality and good low light sensitivity. Greg started me thinking about this with his LX-5 on the trip but I think I would prefer a larger sensor than that.

I'll be interested to hear whether you find touch focusing to be useful on the EP-3 or whether it's just a nuisance that accidentally sets off the shutter all the time. I'll also be interested on how you find the image quality. Does it get halfway close to a D7000, for example? What do you find to be the maximum usable ISO? 800?

Panasonic have a better sensor for the moment in the G3 but Olympus have in-body stabilisation which is very useful in this format because it means you can have smaller lenses and the size of the lenses is the critical factor in compactness. In both this respect and image quality, the Olympus 9-18mm f4-5.6 sounds as though it could be quite useful.

Sony should have an advantage with the NEX-5; it should be a good pocketable combination with the 16mm pancake with another lens in another pocket. However, there are only three lenses available and both the 16mm and the 18-55mm have poor image quality. Only the superzoom is OK and that dwarfs the camera. However, I infer from comparative reviews that the larger sensor means the NEX-5 gives better quality than n4/3 competitors (previous generation at least) even with the poor lenses.

I also suspect the bodies in these cameras are really too small for me. The lenses are the constraint in pocketability and the bodies don't need to be quite so small. The NEX-7 is rumoured for announcement on Wednesday with a larger body including more on-body controls, 24MP sensor, a viewfinder possibly like the X100 and new lenses. The reputed pricing of the 16-50mm kit lens indicates it may solve the lens quality problem but whether it's coat pocketable remains to be seen.

Of course, that will be a much more expensive option than something like the EP-3. In m4/3, I've also seen a rumour that Panasonic are announcing new m4/3 models and lenses at a German trade show in early September. Apart from all the above, the other option is an X100, which is pretty much as compact with excellent image quality though just the fixed prime lens.

[Matt. K]

For me, the very idea of buying a camera without a viewfinder is unthinkable, like buying a guitar without strings. Why, even my (free with mobile phone contract), Canon IXUS 70 has a workable viewfinder.

[Murray Foote]

I have a couple of 5x4 cameras that don't have viewfinders.

[Matt. K]

You might have a problem getting them into your coat pocket.

[Mr Darcy]

You might have a problem getting them into your coat pocket.

Not really. He has some really deep pockets he usually reserves for the boiled lollies