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Red Dot Photo is pleased to present our review of the Olympus PEN E-PL3! Designed as the centerpiece of Olympus's popular PEN series of versatile, high-performance interchangeable lens cameras, the E-PL3 packs the same high image quality of the flagship E-P3 in a solid little package weighing just 262 grams. Read on to find out more about this feature-packed camera!
Specifications
| Specification | PEN E-PL3 | PEN E-PL2 |
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| Image Stabilisation |
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| Image Processor |
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| Image Sizes (Stills) |
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| Image Sizes (Movie) | AVHCD Format
Motion-JPEG Format
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| Aspect Ratio |
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| File Formats |
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| Digital Tele-converter |
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| Auto Focus |
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| Focus Area Selectable |
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| Eye-Detect AF |
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| Focus Modes |
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| AF Assist Lamp |
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| Exposure Modes |
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| Scene Modes |
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| Art Filters |
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| Sensitivity |
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| Metering System |
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| Metering Modes |
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| Shutter Speed |
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| Flash X-sync Speed |
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| White Balance |
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| Colour Space |
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| Drive Modes |
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| Built-in Flash |
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| External Flash |
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| Orientation Sensor |
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| Electronic Viewfinder |
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| Display |
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| Live View |
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| Editing |
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| Storage |
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| Connectivity |
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| Power |
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| Dimensions |
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| Weight |
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Main Features
- Swivel-type 3.0" display, tilting 80 degress up and 45 degress down
- Same image quality as the flagship Olympus PEN E-P3
- Six Art Filters
- Ultrafast AF inherited from the E-P3
- Built-in stereo microphones for video
- Built-in sensor-shift type image stabilisation
- Removable flash
Coming from our earlier review of the E-P3, we found the E-PL3 comfortable to use. The camera is a nice size in-hand, and with the accompanying kit lens it is comfortable to hold and shoot. Being extremely lightweight (262g plus a plastic-construction kit lens), it was not tiring to carry the camera around all day.
The E-PL3 is the first PEN-series camera to feature a swivel-type LCD screen. At a diagonal size of 3.0" and with a resolution of 460,000 dots, the LCD provides a 100% field of view and wide viewing angles of 176 degrees. With the E-PL3, it is easy to take high- and low-angle shots.
Autofocus speed is as fast as the flagship E-P3; the E-PL3 packs the same 12.3 megapixel High-Speed Live MOS sensor and TruePic VI image processing engine as the E-P3. Autofocus is lightning-quick, and a high maximum sensitivity of ISO 12800 is available. Coupled with a 35-area multiple AF with group selection, the E-PL3 enables detailed pinpoint focus, enabling you to get the shot every single time. With built-in stereo microphones and full HD 1080i video recording, the E-PL3 is a tiny yet capable video camera as well.
The E-PL3 comes bundled with an external flash out of the box. With a guide number of 10 (ISO200), it's suitable for fill flash in compromising lighting conditions. The bundled flash is equipped with wireless flash capability, and is compatible with the Olympus Wireless RC Flash System. As such, external flashes such as the Olympus FL-300R can be controlled from the camera body. In addition to wireless control of three groups of flashes, the on-camera flash can be fired as in independent group as well.
The E-PL3 incorporates the same six Art Filters as the E-PL2, namely Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, and Dramatic Tone. Additionally, the E-PL3 comes equipped with an Art Filter Bracketing function, making it possible to experiment with several different photographic effects at the same time.
Previously only available in iAUTO mode, the E-PL3 offers instant recall of the in-camera Live Guide through the Fn button in P/A/S/M modes. Designed for users who do not have technical knowledge of photography but want to have creative control over their photos, Live Guide lets users adjust factors such as 'colour balance', 'blur background', and 'subject motion' through sliders.
Noise Performance
To test the E-PL3's noise performance, we took the above shot at increasing levels of ISO sensitivity, adjusting only shutter speed to ensure that overall exposure remained the same. All shots are unprocessed JPEGs straight out of the camera, and 100% crops are compared to analyse noise performance. Do click the chart below for a full-sized look at our results.
Noise performance is, as expected, very respectable and similar to the E-P3 given that the same sensor and image processor are found in both cameras. Noise is neglible at ISO1600, and still well-controlled at ISO3200. Noise at ISO6400 is obvious, and while ISO12800 is nice to have as an option, noise is extremely visible at that sensitivity. The availability of fast micro-four thirds lenses (such as the Leica Summilux DG 25mm f/1.4 ASPH and the Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2) should help with ISO control.
Conclusion
It helps to think of the E-PL3 as the E-P3's little brother; in that regard, it performs very admirably. Packing the E-P3's imaging processor, sensor, and autofocus sytem into the E-PL3's smaller body was an extremely smart move. The swivel screen is useful when capturing unique angles and when recording video. All in all, the E-PL3 is a very well-rounded camera, with the option of expanding into many different types of photography with the wide range of lenses now available for the Micro Four Thirds standard.
The Olympus Pen E-PL3 currently retails for about $940 for a single lens kit.
Price guide for Olympus PEN E-PL3 in Singapore
