Olympus E-PM1 12.3 Megapixel Advanced Compact Reviews Roundup

On June 30 2011, in additions to PEN E-P3, Olympus also announced the E-PL3 (Pen Lite) and the E-PM1 (Pen Mini) compact cameras. The three new cameras comes with pretty much the same camera specifications. The PEN E-PL3 camera features a tilting 3-inch LCD at 420,000 dots resolution, while the PEN E-PM1 is the smallest and lightest Olympus PEN available in six stylish colors (purple, pink, brown, white, silver and black). The E-PM1 also features a new and simplified user interface as well as a streamlined button structure for ease of use.

Other notable features include in-body image stabilization, a top shutter speed of 1/4000th second, a 5fps continuous shooting mode, a top sensitivity setting of ISO 12800, a hot-shoe, an accessory port and the ability to record 1080i HD videos with stereo sound in AVCHD or Motion JPEG format, with the capability to apply up to six Art Filters to videos as they are being captured.

Olympus E-PM1 Sample Photos on Flickr



Olympus E-PM1 Camera Reviews Roundup


NeoCamera: "The Olympus PEN E-PM1 shows good image quality with relatively low image noise up to ISO 800. Noise is easily noticeable at ISO 1600 which remain usable for medium sized prints. At ISO 3200, noise eats up more details e and all fine details disappear. At this point, only small grainy prints are possible. ISO 6400 remains barely usable but the maximum sensitivity of 12800 is extremely noisy and is best avoided. One m..." - Mar 13 2012 More »
CNET US: "The camera's photo quality rates as good-to-very good, but I think most of my issues with it stem from the kit lens. It's the same lens that ships with all Olympus' PEN models, but for some reason it irked me more this time around. Of course, that helped drive home the attraction of using an ILC instead of a point-and-shoot; when I couldn't get any landscape shots out of the 14-42mm lens that didn't look muddy, I sw..." - Feb 14 2012 More »
MacWorld: "The E-PM1's still image quality is quite good. Colors are nicely saturated and well reproduced but if the default "Natural" look isn't to your liking, color saturation can be adjusted up or down by a factor of 2 or adjusted via the Picture Control option. Exposures were generally accurate and the E-PM1 does a pretty good job of maintaining details in highlights and shadows. ISO can be pushed to 12,800 but..." - Jan 28 2012 More »
Camera Labs: "The Olympus PEN Mini E-PM1 fills a gap in the PEN range that until now really only catered for enthusiast photographers. Rather belatedly, Olympus has woken up to the fact that equipping it's Micro Four Thirds bodies with auto exposure modes isn't enough to attract point-and-shoot upgraders who want controls they feel comfortable with and understand. The PEN Mini E-PM1 is now that camera. With a slimmer simplified b..." - Jan 04 2012 More »
LetsGoDigital: "The Olympus PEN Mini, just like the other PEN system cameras, has a new shutter system. Thanks to the renewed auto focus, with a mere 35 focal points, the Olympus PEN Mini can focus rapidly and accurately. Further, the Olympus PEN Mini can take high-speed shots up to 5.5 shots per second, which is ideal for photographing playing children or sports events. Additionally, we must not forget the image stabilization. Sin..." - Dec 27 2011 More »
Pocket-lint: "In terms of image quality the E-PM1 is the very definition of a competent performer given its size, or lack thereof. It's quick, it's responsive, and if you can see the shot in your mind's eye before squeezing the shutter release button, with the Pen Mini there's a very good chance you'll get it. With kit lens attached we achieved some lovely DSLR-like shallow depth of field effects - keeping the subject in foc..." - Dec 12 2011 More »
Digital Camera Info: "Ever since Olympus unveiled their 2011 PEN camera lineup, eyes have been on the so-called "PEN Mini," the E-PM1. It's the cheapest, most compact PEN yet, but still comes with an image sensor that is nearly identical to Olympus' top of the line E-P3. When you add in all that for a debut price (with lens) just south of $500, you've got a very enticing package. We found that the E-PM1 doesn't quite perfo..." - Dec 01 2011 More »
RegHardware: "Like the E-PL3 the PEN Mini is equipped with only six Art Effects but they are the most useful and the less quirky, producing some visually striking results that are creative enough to satisfy amateurs but not too overdone to look childish. The filters, which are applied before shooting to both photo and video mode, include Pin Hole, Pop Art, Diorama, Dramatic Tone, Grainy Film and Soft Focus. Another added bonus th..." - Nov 27 2011 More »
dpreview: "The E-PM1's 12MP Micro Four Thirds sensor has been around for a while but it is still capable of very good low ISO output in both JPEG and raw mode. The competition has not stood still, however, and rival low-end system cameras like the Sony NEX-C3 offer higher-resolution sensors and superior noise performance at high ISO settings. The E-PM1's image quality is virtually identical to that of the E-PL3 and the E-P3 an..." - Nov 25 2011 More »
CNET AU: "As the internals of the Mini are essentially the same as those found in the E-P3 and the E-PL3, our comments in regards to image quality are consistent between the three cameras.  Most users will be pleased with the colour rendition delivered from the Pen Mini on default JPEG settings, with good saturation. The kit 14-42mm lens doesn't make any inroads into the world of sharpness, as we found on the other two P..." - Nov 11 2011 More »
PhotoReview Australia: "JPEG images from the review camera were quite similar to those from the PEN E-P3 and E-PL3 cameras we reviewed, which is not surprising since they all have the same sensor and image processor. Colour rendition was slightly warm and Imatest showed saturation to be slightly higher in the E-PM1, which is also to be expected, given the camera's target market. Autofocusing  speeds were similar to the E-PL3, par..." - Nov 09 2011 More »
TechRadar: "Although Olympus clearly has a particular niche in mind for its PEN Mini E-PM1, it's created a camera that will prove tempting for a much wider audience due to the relatively low price and compact size. Those upgrading from a compact camera will feel right at home with the Olympus PEN Mini E-PM1's simplified control layout and easy-to-grasp menus and scene modes. Those looking for quick access to manual co..." - Oct 27 2011 More »
Digital Camera Review: "Olympus started the mirrorless interchangeable lens digital movement and with three new entries into this market niche shows no sign of wishing to cede this territory to more recent arrivals. While the PM1 is nominally the entry-level model in this newly introduced triumvirate, a lot of the performance hardware and features of its higher-priced siblings are present in the PM1 as well. There's a fairly quick aut..." - Oct 22 2011 More »
dpreview: "As soon as you look at the PEN Mini, its point-and-shoot intentions become clear - there are very few buttons for controlling the camera (to the extent it's almost possible to mistakenly suspect it might have a touch-screen). Four functions are assigned to the rear control dial, as on many compact cameras and, if you really study the instruction manual, you'll find there's a degree of customization available. But th..." - Oct 06 2011 More »
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Photography BLOG: "The new Olympus E-PM3 is a great start to a new series of smaller, lighter and sexier PEN cameras, taking the design cues of the E-PL3 further without sacrificing too much in the way of features or ease-of-use. It may not have the tilting LCD screen or more traditional control layout of the E-PL3, but it does offer an appealingly simplified compact-camera-like design that's won't put off its largely upgrading userba..." - Oct 05 2011 More »
ePhotoZine: "The lens performs well with detail right to the corners, although there is some purple fringing in extreme contrast areas (the corners especially) although this was generally low in other photos. The kit lens is capable of decent macro performance when used at the telephoto end. The E-PM1 produces low noise at ISO200, through to ISO800, even when the noise filter is set to low. At ISO1600 and ISO3200 coloured noise..." - Sep 26 2011 More »
Digital Camera Review: "During my testing, I primarily used the M.Zuiko Digital 12mm f2 wide angle prime and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 75-300mm f4.8-6.7 super telephoto zoom. Naturally, the 75-300mm is hard to keep stable in your hands. Use of the EVF accessory was helpful - bringing the camera up to your eye allows you to brace it and keep it steadier. The sheer small-ness and range of the lens is impressive. It dominates the slim Pen M..." - Sep 02 2011 More »
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