Olympus PEN E-PM1 has known as PEN Mini, camera is lightweight, compact and most affordable in the Olympus Micro Four Thirds line.
Olympus PEN E-PM1 lens with focal from 14 to 42 mm are mounted directly on the camera body, the 3X optical zoom indicator. The focal length of the machine automatically adjusts to help those who do not specialize in photography more convenient to use. In addition, the machine also has a custom mode for more detailed professional photographers.
PEN Mini has a resolution of 12 megapixels. Machine has a simple design, the camera body is made of aluminum coated exterior paint with various colors such as black, silver, white, brown, pink and purple.
When no lens, machine width of about 11cm, 6.35cm tall, 3.3 cm thick and weighs about 256gram. If fitted with the lens, it will aggravate 130gram and add 5cm thick.
Like the E-PL3 seniors, the PEN Mini is not built like the flash on other digital cameras. To overcome this drawback, the machine is equipped with a removable flash mounted on the body.
Part rear right fuselage with a thin rubber grip helps you feel sure when handling the machine. On machine has basic custom keys: On / off button and shutter button are located on the top, in upper right edge of the movie Record button to switch from shooting mode to record. Three buttons Info, Menu, Play, the navigation buttons, custom and OK button are placed right below.
3 inch LCD screen displays up to 460 thousand crisp pixels. You can carefree outdoor use light without having any problems.
Olympus PEN E-PM1 12.3MP Interchangeable Camera with CMOS Sensor, 3-inch LCD and 14-42mm II Lens (Black) (Old Model): Buy it now
Olympus PEN E-PM1 12.3MP Mirrorless Digital Camera with CMOS Sensor, 3-inch LCD and 14-42mm II Lens (Silver) (Old Model): Buy it now
Olympus PEN E-PM1 12.3MP Mirrorless Digital Camera with CMOS Sensor, 3-inch LCD and 14-42mm II Lens (White) (Old Model): Buy it now
Olympus Pen E-PM1 12.3 MP Digital Camera with CMOS Sensor and 3 x Optical Zoom (Pink) (Old Model): Buy it now
Olympus Pen E-PM1 12.3 MP CMOS Sensor Digital Camera with 14-42mm II Lens and 3″ LCD Screen (Purple): Buy it now
System Olympus PEN custom E-PM1 is pretty much done differently than the same lines as the Olympus PEN E-P3. Menu interface is activated when there will be 6 columns appear: Art, iAuto, Scene, Movie, P / A / S / M and Set Up. Art section will give you 6 choices of effects: Pop Art, Soft Focus, grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama and Dramatic Tone. If you are a non-professional people about photography, the iAuto is the perfect choice. You no longer have to worry about the contrast or other complex customizations to take a picture like that. The camera will automatically adjust the picture optimally for you. There’s also a list of instructions for you is presented extremely simple and easy to understand.
Users can customize the camera to suit the current scene when selecting Scene section. It supports a lot of different scenes: Sunsets, Fireworks or Portraits and many many other options. Pen Mini has performance very impressive. Starters 1s and 0.2s disappeared only to lightning photos.
When you select continuous shooting mode, the machine can capture 12 photos with time 0.25s taking photographs and 0.45 seconds to display all the images captured on screen controls. Olympus PEN E-PM1 can shoot 1080i60 and 720p30 HD video into AVI format, very handy when sharing or use on other devices.
Overview
The Olympus PEN E-PM1 is a small mirrorless camera with a retro look and interchangeable lenses. Controls are kept to a minimum. There’s no viewfinder, so every shot is framed on the rear screen.
Sensor and Image Quality
The sensor is a 12.3-megapixel Live MOS in the Micro Four Thirds format, with Olympus’s TruePic VI processor. In decent light the files are sharp enough for 8 x 10 prints or for posting online, and colors come out lively. Noise shows up early as you raise the ISO. By the time you’re shooting indoors at night, the grain is obvious.
Autofocus and Speed
There are 35 contrast-detection focus points. On a still subject it’s accurate. In dim light or on anything moving, it slows down and sometimes misses. Burst shooting runs at about 3.5 fps, which covers snapshots of kids and pets on a good day and won’t keep up with sports.
Screen
The rear screen is 3 inches with 460,000 dots. It’s bright and clear, but it’s not a touchscreen, while the Lumix GF3 and Canon EOS M both have one. Coming from either, you’ll notice.
Features
Art Filters (Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film) apply their effect as you shoot, so you see the result right away. Editing software can copy most of these looks later. In-camera tools let you resize, crop and adjust color. Video is HD, fine for family clips.
Lenses
The lens mount matters more than any other spec here. Olympus and Panasonic both make lenses for Micro Four Thirds, so you can start with the kit lens and add a macro or a telephoto later. A fixed-lens compact gives you no such option.
Handling and Battery
The automatic modes suit a beginner. If you like to set everything yourself, you’ll find the manual controls limited. The BLS-5 battery is rated at about 300 shots per charge, enough for a day of casual shooting, and I’d take a spare on a trip.
How It Compares
Panasonic Lumix GF3: the same sensor format at 12.1MP, with a 3-inch touchscreen that makes menus and playback easier. Image quality is close.
Sony NEX-C3: a larger 16.2MP APS-C sensor, which should be cleaner in low light and give shallower depth of field.
Canon EOS M: 18MP APS-C with a touchscreen, in a bigger body. You gain resolution and lose size.
Verdict
The E-PM1 is for someone moving up from a phone or a basic compact who wants to swap lenses without buying a DSLR. It’s easy to use and the body is small. The screen is low-resolution and not touch-sensitive, manual controls are limited, and high-ISO files are noisy. If you shoot in dim light, shoot action, or want a lot of control, buy something else.
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Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.