With an extensive feature set targeted at enthusiasts, tilting LCD, nicely implemented filters, good performance, and exceptional raw photo quality, along with a price that’s less burdensome compared to E-P3′s, there is too much to appreciate concerning the Olympus PEN E-PL3.
Olympus Pen E-PL3
The Olympus Pen E-PL3 video disappoints, and the cameras insufficient a grip might prove annoying for many shooters.
(7 customer reviews)
List Price: $699.00
Price: $400.00
33 used & new available from $400.00
BUY OLYMPUS PEN E-PL3 NOW AT A SPECIAL PRICE WITH DISCOUNT
While it isn’t the very best in virtually any particular aspect, and also you probably do not wish to utilize it for video, the Olympus PEN E-PL3 provides an exceptional balance of size, features, performance, and photo quality your money can buy.
In several ways–pretty much everything on the inside–the Olympus PEN E-PL3 may be the same camera as its more costly sibling, the E-P3. Consequently, most of the tradeoffs I dislike in the E-P3, I am more prepared to forgive in its more affordable little brother. Simply that’s because I are expecting people thinking about the E-PL3 to be slightly less picky concerning the noise reduction quality of the JPEGs. Plus, if you are paying less you’re probably less inclined to be resentful about having to tweak settings.
Like many consumer-targeted cameras, the E-PL3 produces JPEGs that show exorbitant smear in the facts from overzealous luminance noise reduction, where in fact the NR kicks in at ISO 800. But if you’re able to tolerate some grain and some clipping in the shadows, you are able to produce far better photos at the very least as much as ISO 1600, possibly higher in the event that you spend a bit more time onto it than used to do. Hot pixels also appear in the JPEG versions of the high-ISO-sensitivity photos. At low ISO sensitivities, there is enough latitude to retouch underexposed photos without unduly increasing image noise.
Olympus also appears to push the sharpness algorithms in its JPEGs only a hair too much, making tiny, light-colored details pop artificially. You will not notice this if you don’t intend to view photos at full size on a display; you will not view it when the image is scaled down and it is possibly the appropriate number of sharpening for going right to print. And for a far more natural look, shoot raw.
Exposure and color are very good irrespective of format, though. Dynamic range is much better in the shadows compared to highlights. I had trouble recovering some blown-out detail but it’s still very good overall.
The video is really a mixed bag. Exposure, sharpness, color, and autofocus are great. But, such as the E-P3, the E-PL3 includes a problem with rolling shutter (you realize that wobbly effect). Turning off the image stabilization while shooting video seemed to create a difference–but with no image stabilization it gets pretty jittery.
Also, the camera automatically crops the picture while shooting video, efficiently increasing the focal length, making quickly switching between photos and videos slightly annoying. The mixture of interlaced video plus relatively low bit rate also results in poor detail resolution in busy scenes, like splashing water. You are able to always attempt to shoot in 720p for all those cases, however.
(7 customer reviews)
List Price: $699.00
Price: $400.00
33 used & new available from $400.00
BUY OLYMPUS PEN E-PL3 NOW AT A SPECIAL PRICE WITH DISCOUNT
Aside from a slightly longer startup time, the Olympus Pen E-PL3 performs just like its more costly sibling. It requires in regards to a 2nd to power on and shoot–not forever but a hair longer than comparable models do. And remember that the continuous shooting decelerates dramatically after 11 shots unless you’ve got a 30MB-per-second Facts or faster.
Olympus Pen E-PL3 Review by Yuri S. (New York, NY, USA).
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Chief Editor: Yuri Slipokoyenko
