Olympus PEN E-PL3 Pro Reviews

An impressive all-rounder, with a great range of extras, but various niggling issues combine to take the shine off its appeal

At $700 (with the same 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 lens that's bundled with the E-P3), the E-PL3 comes off a full $200 cheaper than its bulkier brother. And to us, it makes all the difference in the world. Despite having fewer buttons to mash and wheels to turn, the price point here doesn't put in direct competition with some of the nicer mid-range DSLRs. In other words, the E-PL3 is priced closer to a level that we'd expect -- at least, until you price out that $800 12mm wide-angle lens that's shown throughout this review.

Small and with an elegant metal finish the E-PL3 brings together much of what was lacking from its predecessors. This middle-of-range model is shrewdly positioned yet still offers the same autofocus speed and image quality of its bigger brother E-P3 model for some £250 less. While the E-PL3's £550 asking price may not be the most budget out there, it significantly cuts back on the rather expensive E-PL2 kit which will open it up to more users. There are one or two issues: The 3in, 16:9 ratio screen shows 4:3 shots closer to 2.5in in size; while the lack of a built-in flash seems a backwards step from the E-PL2 (though there is a flash in the box and the hotshoe mount formula may be the best solution for those wanting to get involved in the E-PL3's wireless flash capabilities). With so much else going for it, including the improved AVCHD-able movie mode with full manual exposure control, and decent image quality at the lower ISO settings, the E-PL3 is among the better-equipped Compact System Cameras out there. We like it a lot.

The Olympus E-PL3 is a camera that I genuinely wanted to love, but at the end of the day I can't be very enthusiastic about this camera. For starters, not only does the lack of a grip make the E-PL3 uncomfortable to hold, but I can't escape the feeling that the Olympus design team did little more than copy the shape of last year's Sony NEX-3. The E-PL3 is compatible with the vast selection of Micro Four Thirds lenses and it features blazingly fast autofocus, but things like the lack of a built-in flash and the strange choice of a 16:9 ratio widescreen LCD on a camera that produces 4:3 ratio images make the E-PL3 that much less appealing. Video quality is good, and the one-button video mode combined with silent auto focus (with kit lens) make the E-PL3 a great choice for people who want an interchangeable lens camera and a HD video camera in one package. If high ISO performance and dynamic range were just a little better I would have absolutely no complaints about the image quality coming from this camera. At the end of the day, whether or not you buy the E-PL3 is largely a matter of tradeoffs. If you want a compact camera with articulating LCD, a great selection of lenses and very good image quality, the E-PL3 is a smart choice. However, you have to put up with a camera that is downright "painful" to hold, displays a relatively tiny image on only part of the LCD, lacks a built-in flash, and doesn't deliver noise-free high ISO.

While the E-PL2 was essentially a tarted-up E-PL1, with the E-P3 its manufacturer has gone the whole hog in terms of a makeover. However, in Olympus' bid to deliver a Digital Pen that is 'compact and cute', the E-PL3 is a bit of a curio, dropping arguably essential features like a proper handgrip and built-in flash for those more svelte proportions and the tilting rear LCD. Though we're more natural light photographers ourselves, and arguably street photographers who could make up a large part of the E-PL3's audience also won't miss flash either, we're not convinced that what has been gained in this latest Pen iteration wholly justifies what has been lost. And that's a real shame, because while the E-P3 suggested that you can almost have it all when it comes to a compact system camera, the E-PL3 feels slightly compromised in the pursuit of style.

If the decision is not if but which MFT camera you should get, there are a variety of reasons the E-PL3 should make the cut. Its new, more compact form factor and moderately useful tilt screen are just two features that stand out. However the revolutionized and impressive AF system paired with the PEN series’ high image quality are the real draws here, both of which are why critics (including us) continue to be fans of the lineup.

The Olympus Pen E-PL3 sits in the middle of the Olympus Pen range between the flagship E-P3 and the Pen Mini E-PM1. This makes it a good choice both for compact upgraders looking for more control than the entry-level Pen Mini can offer and enthusiasts for whom the E-P3 is out of reach or overkill. The Pen E-PL3 shares most of the E-P3's strengths: excellent image quality, fast performance, 1080i AVCHD video and huge potential for customisation all in a smaller body with fewer controls and a flip-up LCD screen. Crucially, the E-PL3 retains a physical mode dial, a feature that Sony has never deemed necessary on its NEX range and Panasonic dropped from the GF2 onwards. As well as being able to directly access exposure modes, the E-PL3 has a movie mode with comprehensive exposure settings for movie shooting including fully manual exposure control.

While it's not the best in any particular aspect, and you probably don't want to use it for video, the Olympus PEN E-PL3 offers an excellent balance of size, features, performance, and photo quality for the money.

There is a lot to like about the E-PL3: it’s a very capable camera that delivers good image quality. Stylish and easy to use, it offers plenty of useful and fun features including a tiltable LCD, Art Filters and solid HD movie recording abilities. Of course, all of these plus points are tempered somewhat by the lack of a built-in flash and the lack of a proper hand-grip, but even taking these factors into consideration we still think the E-PL3 is a very good camera overall.

We find the PEN Lite to be a well-thought out attempt to lure compact-camera upgraders to both higher image quality and the opportunity to explore manual controls while providing a day to day handling experience that will be far from intimidating. As such, we have handed the E-PL3 our Silver Award. Potentially awkward handling with the control dial, a disappointing noise reduction/sharpening default and and a digital image stabilization system (for video) that can produce less than pleasing results prevent the E-PL3 from receiving our Gold Award.

Putting the previously mentioned, potentially contentious issues aside for a moment, there's no doubting that Olympus has succeeded in creating a mini-marvel with the PEN Lite E-PL3. It's beautifully engineered, stylish and puts in a blisteringly quick performance. As a compact system camera in its own right, we have to say it offers one of the best user experiences we've encountered to date, and as such we'd happily recommend it to a budding enthusiast in search of lightweight alternative to an entry-level DSLR.

Potential owners of the E-PL3 will be weighing up whether to go for this or an identically priced Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3. While the latter is less outwardly sophisticated and certainly lacks the retro charm, as well as a top plate hotshoe, it does include the built-in flash missing from the Olympus. On the other hand, the E-PL3 features an adjustable screen, something we’ve felt has been missing from the Panasonic GF series for a while now.

The Olympus PEN E-PL3 is an excellent upgrade to the E-PL2, with extremely fast focusing, which was one of the big problems with the PEN series, especially if you'd used another faster Micro Four Thirds camera, but now Olympus are back in the game. They've also produced a compact, stylish camera with fast continuous shooting at 5.5 fps. AF illuminator and the tilting screen is a welcome addition.

The Olympus PEN E-PL3 delivers impressive performance when it comes to speed, but is held back by noisy images at higher ISO settings and a kit lens that delivers so-so sharpness at longer focal lengths.