Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 12.3 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5.5Mb.

As they serve as a point of difference from the other compact system cameras - though admittedly Panasonic serves up some very similar effects on its Lumix G series under different names - we always find ourselves utilsing the Art Filter effects on the digital Pen series, and the E-PL3 is no exception. As we noted in the main text, pinhole and dramatic tone, for us, are the two of the six here the most worth using, though pop art can be fun to accentuate already bright colours in a scene and turn a photo taken on a drab day into something more visually arresting. The diorama option we found less successful, and results with this mode selected were hit and miss. As ever, experimentation is key.

The same goes for using the standard kit zoom, which is a jack of all trades tool as adept at helping the user achieve shallow depth of field effects as it is shoehorning more expansive landscapes or cityscapes into frame. OK, so results aren't going to challenge the average DSLR in terms of sharpness and clarity of detail, but for most they will certainly be good enough, especially with a tweak for brightness and contrast, which after all can be achieved in camera in Live Guide mode.

Again, when bumping up the ISO and shooting in low light, one is only going to reach for top whack ISO 12800 setting if an image that's impressionistic rather than photorealistic is your goal - though in truth it could work quite well for a moody black and white shot at a rock gig. Stick to ISO 6400, which was previously the highest selectable setting on an Olympus Pen, if you want a result that actually looks like a photograph, and one worth saving.

Noise

There are 6 ISO settings available on the Olympus E-PL3. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting, with JPEG on the left and the RAW equivalent on the right:

JPEG	RAW
ISO 200 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 400 (100% Crop)
ISO 800 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)
ISO 1600 (100% Crop)	ISO 1600 (100% Crop)
ISO 3200 (100% Crop)	ISO 3200 (100% Crop)
ISO 6400 (100% Crop)	ISO 6400 (100% Crop)
ISO 12800 (100% Crop)	ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are just a little soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can also change the in-camera sharpening level to suit your tastes by changing the Picture Modes.

Original (100% Crop)	Sharpened (100% Crop)

Flash

Here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the On or the Red-eye Reduction settings caused any red-eye.

On	On (100% Crop)
Red-eye Reduction	Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Olympus E-PL3 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 60 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times as long as 30 minutes, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 13 seconds at ISO 200. We've included a 100% crop to show what the quality is like.

Night Shot	Night Shot (100% Crop)

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Olympus E-PL3 camera, which were all taken using the 12.3 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Olympus E-PL3 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Olympus RAW (ORF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

As of February 2025, we are no longer providing full size sample images or videos for download.

Please contact us if you have any feedback on our new policy.

Product Images

Front of the Camera

Front of the Camera / Flash

Front of the Camera / Flash Raised

Isometric View

Isometric View

Rear of the Camera

Rear of the Camera

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

Rear of the Camera / Tilting LCD Screen

Rear of the Camera / Tilting LCD Screen

Rear of the Camera / Tilting LCD Screen

Rear of the Camera / Tilting LCD Screen

Rear of the Camera / Tilting LCD Screen

Rear of the Camera

Side of the Camera / Flash

Side of the Camera / Flash

Top of the Camera

Top of the Camera

Bottom of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Side of the Camera

Side of the Camera

14-42mm Lens

Front of the Camera

Front of the Camera / Flash

Flash

Memory Card Slot

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

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.

Performance wise though it hardly differs from the E-P3, and so, on a positive note, there will be those tempted to save themselves a bit of cash (around £200) - and gain that tilting LCD - by plumping for the more 'affordable' E-PL3. So, viewed as part of the Pen range, for us the E-PL3 fends off any critical barbs rather better than if it were a standalone entity, or had appeared before, rather than simultaneously with, its E-P3 and Pen Mini brethren. That said, £550 would alternatively buy anyone a good quality starter digital SLR and kit lens, so the E-PL3 has to be judged with that caveat too.

Still, at least design wise it looks a lot better than the E-PL2, and in aiming to broaden the Pen range's appeal, Olympus may well be satisfied to have at least have succeeded in that respect. The E-PL3 is an impressive and funky compact system camera, but third time around we were hoping, perhaps naively, for consolidation of past glories rather than throwing us, in a couple of key respects, something of a curveball.

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	4
Features	3.5
Ease-of-use	4
Image quality	4.5
Value for money	3.5

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Olympus E-PL3 from around the web.

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