Olympus PEN E-PL3 17mm 12.3 MP Interchangeable Lens Camera with CMOS Sensor (Black)

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Price: $349.00    

Product Feature

• 5 FPS Sequential Shooting
• Advanced Continuous AF & Tracking
• Full 1080 HD Video shoot up to 29 minutes of 1080 60i HD video and stereo sound in either AVCHD or AVI formats. A Direct HD Movie Button switches you from still to movie mode with just the press of a button
• New 3D Shooting Add a new dimension to your photographs in any mode from macro to landscape with Olympus 3D technology
• New Three-Inch Tilting Widescreen LCD

Product Description

You love preserving memories, but you're ready for more creativity. More control. More options for capturing unforgettable images. The E-PL3 inspires innovation and is perfect for those who require a versatile, portable camera filled with advanced yet easy-to-use creative technologies. Its high-resolution 3 inches articulating LCD features a new interface that makes it easy to access the effects you want from any angle. Live Chat by Live Person,Professional Image Quality 12.3 MP.The new 12.3 MP Live MOS sensor is optimized to maximize the performance of all m.Zuiko digital lenses in any shooting condition. Improvements to the sensitivity and read-out speed of the existing sensor makes ISO 12,800 shooting and Full HD movie recording possible.STABILIZATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE BODY, NOT IN THE LENSES Say goodbye to blurry images. Olympus in-body image stabilization technology makes it possible to use any Micro Four Thirds lenses (or Four Thirds lens), from wide-angle to telephoto, for perfectly clear, crisp photos no matter what the shooting situation, even in low light! IMPROVED COLOR REPRODUCTION : The new TruePic VI Image Processor, designed specifically for the Olympus PEN, features Real Color Technology for improved color reproduction (especially colors such as emerald green, yellow, and gold) and color gradation. The faster processor also allows for a shorter recovery time between shots.FACE DETECTION WITH EYE DETECT Nail the focus for every portrait photo, every time. The new face detection AF employs an "Eye Detect AF" that adjusts focus automatically on the subject's eyes during portrait shooting and can even be adjusted to focus on the right, left or near-side eye. The Face Detection function captures up to eight faces, reducing the chance of blurred subjects when shooting several people at once.

Olympus PEN E-PL3 17mm 12.3 MP Interchangeable Lens Camera with CMOS Sensor (Black) Review

Updated 4 June 2013: I bought this product on Amazon US, but the product shuts off after every photo or two. Checked with Olympus customer service in Netherlands (as I am currently located here). They say I need to pay 160 EUR for repair and shipping cost. I just checked that on Amazon, the new EPL3 product is selling for 350 USD with 17mm lens. The 17mm 2.8 lens sells for 300 USD if separately bought. So the new body cost is 50 USD, but to repair old one it is 250 USD :).

In any case, I read several forums that many EPL3 are affected by the same issue. There is some capacitor which dies after few months and this problem comes. So it is all luck based. Anyway bad customer service from Olympus is bad. I

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Original review in Dec 2011:
I have been a user of Olympus E-520 for three years and used Nikon D60, Canon 450D few times as well, besides trying out LX5 and other P&S.

I like EPL3 mainly because compared to my existing E-520, it is half the size and weight but performance has doubled or tripled, though price remained relatively constant. (Good Technology PLC management I guess)

My requirements were small size/weight, good quality JPEG photos (no time for RAW). Options were Sony NEX's, Nikon's new J1/V1, Panasonic's GF3's, Fuji X100's

After going through the detailed JPEG comparisons on dpreview.com among the different options, to my Olympus trained eyes, I found the quality of EPL3/EP3/EPM1's much better for photos in the range of ISO 100 to ISO 800. Beyond ISO 800/1600, NEX rules. Some may find the quality of NEX in the lower ISO range preferable but I found they are bit soft and also NEX lacks much needed lens support. Fuji though better was beyond my budget and it had issues of focus and only fixed lens support.

Considering my usage is mostly during daytime for streets and scenery, I went for EPL-3 with 17mm lens. Among EPL3, EP3 and EPM1 though image quality is same, I chose EPL3 because it has just enough number of buttons, movable LCD for street photography, and due to the single 17mm lens that came with the deal. I wish if someone sells PEN's with 20mm Panasonic lens then it would be an ideal camera.

After using the camera, I found the fast focus quite good, also as expected very good JPEG daylight performance and more than expected night time performance.

I did not like the camera grip though, as the 400 grams camera is quite slippery due to the smooth metal finish. So, I am thinking of taking a Flipbac FBG3 grip for it and paste it on the front. Video auto focus is also a bit jerky at the start of a shoot. May be I have to still fidget with some settings.

For cover, I have taken "OP/TECH USA 7401114 Soft Pouch -Digital D-Small", but it was too loose for it. I have ordered Marumi 37mm circular Polaroid filter and yet to receive.

Finally, I think, P&S with small CCD lens will soon die except the ultrazoomers. M4/3 will do well, due to the small package size, excellent lens support and day time performance. For professional photography, DSLRs and lens from Nikon's and Canon's are still THE gear. Sony's NEX have some work to do in terms of lens support. Fuji is for the rich. Samsung is still new. Not sure who buys Ricoh/Pentax/Leica's

Update: It is not ergonomic to my hands. I have modified the camera design and uploaded to the product pictures. See Amazon's product picture for more info.

Update: I bought an mft 45mm Oly f1.8 lens in Singapore Airport for around 350 USD :-) (lower than Amazon). The portraits are coming out rather very well.

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