Red Dot Photo - Olympus PEN E-P3 Review

The PEN E-P3 is Olympus's fifth generation Micro Four Thirds camera. Despite it's classic PEN aesthetic, it packs a revised 12-megapixel sensor, and almost every other aspect of the camera has been tweaked in some way. Olympus's latest PEN flagship features what is touted to be the world's fastest AF-S performance, as well as a 614,000 dot VGA-equivalent OLED touch-sensitive screen and built-in flash. With so many new features, how does the E-P3 stack up against it's predecessor the E-P2? Read on to find out.

Specifications

Specification	PEN E-P3	PEN E-P2
Sensor	4/3" Hi-Speed Live MOS Sensor 12.3 million effective pixels	4/3" Hi-Speed Live MOS Sensor 12.3 million effective pixels
Image Stabilisation	"Supersonic Wave Drive" in-body sensor shift 3 modes: horizontal + vertical, horizontal-only, vertical-only	"Supersonic Wave Drive" in-body sensor shift 3 modes: horizontal + vertical, horizontal-only, vertical-only
Image Processor	TruePic VI	TruePic V
Image Sizes (Stills)	4032 x 3024 3200 x 2400 2560 x 1920 1600 x 1200 1280 x 960 1024 x 768 640 x 480	4032 x 3024 3200 x 2400 2560 x 1920 1600 x 1200 1280 x 960 1024 x 768 640 x 480
Image Sizes (Movie)	AVHCD Format Full-HD Fine: 1920x1080, 60i recording, 17Mbps Full-HD Normal: 1920x1080, 60i recording, 13Mbps HD Fine: 1280x720, 60p recording, 17Mbps HD Normal: 1280x720, 60p recording, 13Mbps Motion-JPEG Format HD: 1280x720, 30fps, Aspect 16:9 SD: 640x480, 30fps, Aspect 4:3 (VGA)	1280x720 (HD) 640x480 (VGA)
Aspect Ratio	4:3 (default) 3:2 16:9 6:6 3:4	4:3 (default) 3:2 16:9 6:6
File Formats	RAW RAW + JPEG JPEG MPO (3D still) AVCHD AVI Motion-JPEG	RAW RAW + JPEG JPEG AVI Motion-JPEG
Digital Tele-converter	2x digital zoom	N/A
Auto Focus	Contrast-Detection AF System 35-area Multiple AF	Contrast-Detection AF System 11-area multiple AF
Focus Area Selectable	Automatic Manual Auto from 35-area, single area from 35-area, group (9-area) from 35-area Face-detection	Automatic Manual Auto from all 11 area, Single area from 11 area Face-detection
Eye-Detect AF	OFF Near-side eye priority Left-eye priority Right-eye priority	No
Focus Modes	Single-shot AF Continuous AF Manual Focus Single + Manual Focus AF Tracking	Single-shot AF Continuous AF Manual Focus Single + Manual Focus AF Tracking
AF Assist Lamp	Yes	No
Exposure Modes	iAuto Programe AE Aperture Priority AE Shutter Priority AE Manual Art Filter Scene Select	Auto Program AE Aperture priority AE Shutter priority AE Manual Art Filter Scene select
Scene Modes	23 types	14 types
Art Filters	10 types	8 types
Sensitivity	Auto: ISO200 - 12800 (customisable, default 200 - 1600) Manual: ISO100 - 12800, 1/3 or 1 EV steps	Auto: ISO 200 - 3200 (customisable, default 200-800) Manual ISO100 - 6400, 1/3 or 1 EV steps
Metering System	TTL Image Sensor metering system 324-zone multi-pattern	TTL Image Sensor metering system 49-zone multi-pattern
Shutter Speed	60-1/4000 second	60-1/4000 second
Flash X-sync Speed	1/30-1/180 second	1/30-1/180 second
White Balance	Auto Sunny Shadow Cloudy Incandescent Fluorescent Flash 12 custom presets Kelvin (2000 - 14000 K) Flash + WB: Off / AWB Priority / Flash WB priority AWB Keep Warm color: Off / On	Auto Cloudy Shade Flash Daylight Fluorescent 1 Fluorescent 2 Fluorescent 3 Lamp 1 custom preset Kelvin (2000 - 14000 K)
Colour Space	sRGB Adobe RGB	sRGB Adobe RGB
Drive Modes	Single Sequential (3fps) Self-timer (2 or 12 seconds)	Single Sequential (3fps) Self-timer (2 or 12 seconds)
Built-in Flash	Yes Guide No. 10m at ISO200 Mode: TTL-Auto, Manual (Full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64) Wireless Flash (4 channels, 3 groups + built-in flash)	No
External Flash	Hot-Shoe Compatible with E-system Flash (FL-50R, FL-36R, FL-50, FL-36, FL-20, FL-14, FL-300R) External Flash Control : TTL Auto, Auto, Manual, FP-TTL-Auto, FP-Manual Modes: Auto, Red-eye reduction, Red-eye reduction slow sync., Slow sync at 1st curtain, Slow sync at 2nd curtain, Fill-in, Manual (1/4, 1/16, 1/64), Off. Flash power: Up to ± 3EV in 1, 1/2, or 1/3 EV steps	Hot-Shoe Compatible with E-system Flash (FL-50R, FL-36R, FL-50, FL-36, FL-20, FL-14) External Flash Control : TTL Auto, Auto, Manual, FP-TTL-Auto, FP-Manual Modes: Auto, Red-eye reduction, Red-eye reduction slow sync., Slow sync at 1st curtain, Slow sync at 2nd curtain, Fill-in, Manual (1/4, 1/16, 1/64), Off. Flash power: Up to +/- 3EV in 1, 1/2, or 1/3 EV steps
Orientation Sensor	Yes	Yes
Electronic Viewfinder	External (optional)	External (optional)
Display	3.0" 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating Touch panel 614,000 dots 100% frame coverage Brightness adjustment +2 to -2 Color Temperature adjustment +3 to -3 Vivid / Natural	3.0" HyperCrystal LCD with Anti-Reflective Coating 230,000 pixels 100% frame coverage 15 step brightness adjustment 15 step Color Balance adjustment (R-B, G-M)
Live View	100% field of view Max 8 frames of face detection can be displayed AF operation 7x - 14x magnification	100% field of view Max 8 frames of face detection can be displayed AF operation 7x - 10x magnification
Editing	RAW development JPEG editing (B&W, Sepia, Red eye reduction, Color saturation, Resize, Shadow Adjustment Technology, Anti red-eye)	RAW development JPEG editing (B&W, Sepia, Red eye reduction, Color saturation, Resize, Shadow Adjustment Technology, Anti red-eye)
Storage	SD (SDHC, SDXC, UHS-I compatible) FluCard and Eye-Fi compatible	SD/SDHC
Connectivity	USB 2.0 (Hi Speed) Mini HDMI Video Out (NTSC / PAL) Accessory Port AP2	USB 2.0 (Hi Speed) Mini HDMI Video Out (NTSC / PAL) IR Remote control (optional)
Power	BLS-5 Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery (supplied & charger) Approx 330 shots (CIPA test standard)	BLS-5 Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery (supplied & charger)
Dimensions	122mm (W) x 69.1mm (H) x 34.2mm (D) (excluding protrusions)	121mm (W) x 70mm (H) x 36mm (D) (excluding protrusions)
Weight	321g (body only) 369g (with battery)	335g (body only) 383g (with battery)

Appearance and Ergonomics
When comparing the E-P3 and it's predecessor the E-P2, the first thing you notice is the difference in the screen. Although the screens are of the same size, the E-P3 boasts an OLED screen that promises excellent colour reproduction. At a much higher resolution of 614,000 dots (compared to 230,000 of the E-P2), the E-P3's OLED screen is joy to use; manual focusing and reviewing images are both made easier with the new, high-resolution screen.

To illustrate this, we used both the E-P3 and E-P2 to take a photo of our Red Dot Photo signboard. Both cameras were set to review images, and a picture was taken of each camera in playback mode. Above are 100% crops off the screens of both cameras; notice the much higher pixel-density on the E-P3's OLED screen relative to the E-P2.

The E-P3 also features redesigned ergonomics. The mode dial has been reloacted and redesigned to be easier to use. Most obvious to enthusiasts will be the new button layout on the E-P3; there are now two custom function (Fn1 and Fn2) that can be programmed to the photographer's shooting style. More importantly, the Fn2 button is located right next to the shutter button, making it more comfortable for shooters to adjust their most often-used settings. However, there is a limit to what you can map to the Fn buttons; for example, you can't map ISO to Fn buttons, the only place you can do that is at the 4-way d-pad.

Below you can see the new button layout of the E-P3 against the E-P2.

A dedicated movie record button is also available on the E-P3; video-recording is now literally a button away, there is no need to turn the mode dial to movie mode unless shooting in AVCHD.

Responding the user-feedback about the handling of the E-P2, Olympus offers users different sized handgrips for the E-P3. Users can choose to go without a handgrip, with the standard grip, or with a larger-sized handgrip according to their preferences.

Noise Performance

To test the E-P3's noise performance, we shot the above scene at increasing ISO levels while adjusting shutter speed to ensure that exposure stayed the same. All shots were taken with the same lens, and cameras were set to their default JPEG settings. 100% crops of the same area are then compared.

With it's new TruePic VI image processor, noise control is much better on the E-P3 than the E-P2. On the E-P2, noise became noticeable at ISO1600 and images shot at ISO3200 and above experienced discolouration and loss of detail. In contrast, the E-P3 is useable up to ISO6400; noise is well controlled, and there is no discolouration as ISO is increased.

The chart below displays our noise test results. Test shots from the new Panasonic DMC-GF3 are included for comparison as well. Do click the image below for the full-sized version.

Auto-Focus
The PEN E-P3 is touted as having the world's fastest single-shot autofocus. By driving the Live MOS Sensor at double the speed of the predecessor the E-P2, image signals are sent at a much faster rate to the AF system, which itself runs at twice the speed of the previous generation. Olympus claims that the result is a system that focuses at almost three times the speed of its predecessor. An MSC (Movie & Still Compatible) lens is needed to take full advantage of the new AF system though.

The new AF system allowed Olympus to introduce touch-shooting with the E-P3. Users are able to touch the screen to focus on a point of choice, and with the speed of focus a photo is taken almost immediately after. It's near-instantaneous, and quite impressive.

Olympus also introduced a new eye-detect AF mode in the E-P3. When enabled, the AF system ensures that subjects' eyes are in focus, making it easy for shooters to take engaging portraits.

Scene Modes and Art Filters
Building on the popularity of in-camera image processing, the E-P3 comes with 23 scene modes (up from the E-P2's fourteen) and 10 art filters (up from the E-P2's eight). With the E-P3's new double-speed imager, scene modes and art filters alike are much more responsive than they were on the E-P2. For some examples of some art filters in action, see our sample gallery at the end of this review.

Additional Features
The E-P3 features a built-in pop-up flash. With a guide number of 10m at ISO200, it's useful for those situations where you need that little bit of extra fill flash.

Another additional feature is the addition of a 'digital teleconverter' to the E-P3. Essentially a 2x digital zoom, it gives shooters more reach for those situations where their lenses just won't do.

Conclusion

With it's lightning-fast AF and better ergonomics, the Olympus PEN E-P3 is marked improvement from the E-P2. Solid without being bulky, it offers great image quality and fine-control in a nicely-sized camera body. Without a doubt, it's one of the best Micro Four Thirds system cameras today.

The Olympus PEN E-P3, while not yet available in the market, is likely to retail for about S$1100 with a kit lens.

Sample Gallery