Olympus PEN E-PL3 Preview

Preview based on a pre-production E-PL3 running firmware 1.0

Olympus wasn't the first company to introduce a mirrorless interchangeable camera but it was the first to develop a simplified, cost-reduced model with an easy-to-use interface to allow point-and-shoot upgraders to get the most out of their first large-sensor camera. Olympus has a history of developing new ideas and technologies, only to watch them become popular across the industry, so won't have expected the field to itself for long. Its response to this challenge are two new models - the PEN Lite and PEN Mini.

The PEN Lite is the third generation of the company's simplified PEN model. And, where the E-PL1 felt like an E-P2 shoe-horned into a cheaper body (and the E-PL2 a slightly more satisfying version same concept), the E-PL3 is more obviously a model in its own right. Although it shares much with the co-announced E-P3, the Lite has more distinct styling and better feature differentiation than we've previously seen.

In terms of similarities, the E-PL3 shares the same updated 12MP imaging sensor and dual-core TruePicVI processor as the E-P3, providing the camera with many of the same capabilities as its big brother. However, its styling is more obviously reminiscent of the company's flagship XZ-1 compact than of previous PENs. There's also a flip-out rear LCD that helps set it apart from the retro-styled E-P3. Beyond this, a close look at the Lite shows that, with the exception of the thumb dial and Fn2 button, it offers a similar degree of control to the more expensive model. It even retains the built-in stereo microphones of the bigger PEN - one of the first features to go missing from many such cameras.

Having regularly acted as a trailblazer (Olympus was an early exponent of DSLR liveview, in-camera image stabilization and art filters), and subsequently watched other manufacturers produce very similar beginners' user interfaces, the PEN Lite sees Olympus getting to borrow ideas for a change. There's something decidedly NEX-like about the Lite's protruding lens mount and tilting LCD screen, not to mention its separate clip-on flash.

Frustratingly, the Lite's flip-out screen is in the 16:9 aspect ratio - perfect for shooting video but pretty disastrous for a camera with a native shooting ratio of 4:3. The problem is that a 4:3 chunk of a 16:9 frame leaves black bars down either side of the screen - throwing away a troubling 25% of the screen's area. This area can, of course, be populated with shooting information but it still means your preview is much smaller than you'd want it to be.

Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 key specifications: Updated 12MP Live MOS sensor 120 Hz 'Fast AF' focus system Clip-on flash (included) Built-in autofocus illuminator light 460,000 dot tilting LCD screen (16:9 aspect ratio) Dual-core TruePic VI processor 1080i60 movies in AVCHD format Shadow tone adjustment control Revised and expanded Art Filter mode (with quick preview option) Compared to the Olympus PEN E-P3

View the Original article