Olympus E-PM1 Review

October 5, 2011 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

The Olympus E-PM1 (also known as the Olympus PEN Mini) is a brand new 12 megapixel compact system camera. Sporting a slim, stylish and very small metal body, the EPM1 also features the world's fastest auto-focus system, a high resolution 3 inch LCD screen, 5.5fps burst shooting, 1080i HD video recording, a maximum sensitivity of ISO12800, sensor-shift image stabilisation, a hot shoe and an accessory port. The Olympus PEN E-PM1 is available in brown, grey, pink, purple, white, or black for a retail price of £449.99 / $499.99 for the 14-42mm standard zoom lens and tiltable external flash.

Ease of Use

With Panasonic and Sony recently vying for the title of "World's smallest compact system camera", it comes as no surprise that Olympus have entered the fray with their take on the stylish, small and sexy DSLR replacement, the E-PM1 or PEN Mini. Measuring 109.5 x 63.7 x 34.0 mm and weighing 217g (body-only), the metal-bodied E-PM1 is about the same size and weight as its principal rivals, the Sony NEX-C3 and the Panasonic DMC-GF3. As with the Panasonic model, the E-PM1 uses the smaller Micro Four Thirds image sensor, while the NEX-C3 employs a larger APS-C sensor which potentially gives better image quality, but conversely the Micro Four Thirds models benefit from smaller comparable lenses than the Sony NEX system can offer.

In terms of how the E-PM1 fits into the Olympus PEN range, this is the smallest, lightest, cheapest and most uncluttered model to date in terms of its control system. The E-PM1 shares a lot of key features with its bigger brother the E-PL3, so some of the comments that we made about that camera will be repeated here. These include the headline resolution of 12.3 megapixels from a high speed Live Mos sensor, and a 3 inch screen which offers a widescreen aspect ratio and comes with a respectable 460k dot resolution, although it's not tiltable as on the E-PL3 or a touch screen model like the one on the E-P3.

Another welcome attribute that this model shares with the E-PL3 is a claim for the world's joint fastest auto focus system, thanks to 35 AF points spread over the entire LMOS sensor, plus a TruePic IV processor to keep performance zipping along. Full time AF and AF tracking also feature. Once again though there's no optical or electronic viewfinder supplied here as an alternative to the rear LCD screen, though like the recently reviewed E-PL3 and E-P3 there is an accessory port Version 2 to be found above the screen at the E-PM1's rear which will accept one of Olympus's optional external viewfinders.

The raison d'etre of the E-PM1 remains the same as its brethren: high quality images (and video) from an interchangeable lens camera that's perceived to be less fussy to operate and transport than a DSLR. For a suggested price of £449.99 / $399.99 with lens the E-PM1 comes bundled with a distinctly plastic-y feeling M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 II T lens (one of 20 available dedicated Micro Four Thirds lenses), with an interchangeable 'decoration ring' and the same sleek, chic retro styling we've come to expect from the PEN range.

Olympus E-PM1 Olympus E-PM1
Front Rear

Once again the hand-holding Live Guide mode to help novices achieve more professional results is included on the E-PM1 too, with, as on the E-PL3, its features selectable by tabbing up and down a visually-led menu that appears running down the right hand side of the screen. In this way the likes of depth of field/background blur can be adjusted in real time by dragging a simple slider bar.

As this is the entry-level Pen, it's no surprise to find that the E-PM1 doesn't quite match the flagship E-P3 in all respects. There are 'just' six creative Art Filters on the E-PM1(as on the E-PL3), all applied at the point of capture, compared with the E-P3's whopping 10. But thankfully included here are our preferred choices of pinhole and dramatic tone, joined by the tilt and shift lens ape-ing 'diorama' for rendering cityscapes as if on a toy town scale. Though the latter is a fun tool, we feel this miniature option works less well on the Olympus Pen than its competitors; for us the Pen seems to blur too wide a portion of the frame, so that occasionally the result can resemble a mistake rather than an effect. Once again, these filters can be applied to Full HD video as well as stills, recordable in AVCHD or reduced resolution Motion JPEG format. Just press the dedicated video record button when in the Art Filter mode.

Alongside body integral image stabilisation, something that gives it the Pen the edge over the Panasonic Lumix G range, Full HD video with stereo sound is included as standard, with left and right microphones positioned either side of a vacant hotshoe - the latter a feature that might also position it one step ahead of arguably Panasonic's closest rival in the Lumix DMC-GF3. If it weren't, that is, for the fact that what is more unforgivably omitted here is the luxury of a built-in flash of the pop-up variety - a feature that the E-PM1's intended consumer audience is surely going to miss.

Instead, with the E-PM1 a separate plastic-y clip-on flash is included in the box that we can see getting lost down the back of the sofa, or simply forgotten when you head out for the day with your shiny new camera. Admittedly the flash does look quite cool when slotted into place and works effectively, but it does inevitably add to the camera's bulk, and it also prevents you from using the optical viewfinder and flash at the same time. If the supplied flash unit with its guide number of 10 meters at ISO 200 isn't powerful enough for you, the E-PM1's hotshoe is compatible with the FL-50R, FL-36R, FL-50, FL-36, FL-20, FL-14, and FL-300R flashguns. The E-PM1 also supports wireless flash via the bundled unit acting as a master to control off-camera flash units, very useful for more complex studio work.

Olympus E-PM1 Olympus E-PM1
Side Front

Just like the E-PL3, the E-PM1 also misses out on a proper handgrip, though as with the removable grip of the E-P3 in aesthetic terms we actually think the camera looks better without it. Its absence lends greater visual emphasis to the brushed metal faceplate and the camera's small proportions, but does make the camera much harder to grip, with only a small rubberized strip on the rear helping you to keep the camera steady.

Better news comes from the fact that low light sensitivity has been boosted on this latest Pen, incrementally extendable from ISO6400 to a semi pro-like ISO12800, as on the E-P3 and E-PL3. This is partly down, says Olympus, to the implementation of a noise reducing Venus Engine VI processor.

From the front then, and with or without the attachable flash fitted, the E-PM1 very much looks the part and worth the relatively modest outlay, exuding a cool sophistication, although we probably wouldn't opt for our brown test sample. It has that 'classic' Pen clean look, with an AF illuminator/self timer lamp top right of the lens, springy lens release button to the right, Micro Four Thirds logo bottom right and Olympus logo top left.

Moving up to the top plate, the E-PM1 locates a speaker complete with stereo microphones flanking the adjacent vacant hotshoe. This comes with a protective plastic cover that also loops over at the back to at the same time to protect the accessory port against dust and other nasties. Set into a strip to the right of the hotshoe - if viewing the camera from the back - are a small but obvious shutter release button and, lastly, inset into the top plate, the power button.

Olympus E-PM1 Olympus E-PM1
Top Flash Unit

Give the latter a press and if you haven't first manually extended the bundled retractable zoom lens, an on-screen text message prompts you to do so. So getting ready for the first shot is a two-tier process: either extend the lens first then press the power button or vice versa. Once the lens has been unfurled the camera is ready for its first shot (or video) in just under two seconds. A half press of the shutter release and there's a very brief wait while the focus visibly resets. Go on and take the shot and with no discernable shutter delay, a Fine quality JPEG and Raw file are committed to memory in two to three seconds, which is nothing to complain about.

The rear of the E-PM1 is where most of the design changes have been made to help keep the camera as uncluttered as possible. In addition to the aforementioned accessory port which is dead centre above the LCD screen, there's a dedicated video record button positioned where it ergonomically falls under the thumb as the camera is gripped in the right hand, so ergonomically that on a couple of occasions we inadvertently started recording a video without noticing. Hit this and recording begins no matter what alternative stills shooting mode might be in play at the same time, the black bands cropping the left and right of the screen when shooting in default stills mode disappearing so that the entire screen is taken up with the image being recorded.

The OK button is also the means by which as a default the E-PM1's Live Guide feature is brought into play, and the order in which the offerings are presented and what they actually are is identical to that found on the E-P3 flagship Pen. The Live Guide options are presented as a colourful toolbar on the right hand side of the screen. From the top we have the ability to change colour saturation, from 'clear & vivid' to 'flat & muted', next down is the ability to alter 'colour image', which translates as shifting the tone between warm and cool via slider bar, with the third option shifting brightness/exposure between a simple bright and dark. The fourth option down is probably the most interesting/effective in that it provides the ability to incrementally blur the background of your shot by again dragging an indicator on a slider - thus providing a similar shallow depth of field effect to that achievable with a DSLR and suitable aperture.

For its fifth Live Guide option Olympus has retained the curiously named 'Express Motions', which to us has always sounded more like a bowel movement than the actual emphasizing of subject motion by introducing blur. Well, in fact, there's the option to both blur any movement or stop it in its tracks, again achievable by dragging a slider indicator. The last option on this tool bar is a on-board shooting hints and tips manual, with the usual 'suspects' of photographing children and pets given the most prominence ('take a picture at their height level' being a summation of the level of advice imparted). We even get tips, as a bit of closet advertising, for attaching Olympus accessories, such as lens converters.

Olympus E-PM1 Olympus E-PM1
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

An info button and separate menu button sit above and below a standard multidirectional control pad, encircled by Olympus' love-it-or-hate-it scroll wheel set up. At 12 o'clock on the control dial is an exposure compensation control (+/- 3EV), at three o'clock a compendium of flash settings (auto, red eye reduction, fill in flash, flash off, red eye slow sync, slow sync, 'full' flash and incremental adjustments running from ½ to 1/64th strength) and a zoom in button during playback, at six o'clock we get self timer/drive modes, and at nine o'clock the ability to manually specify the AF point by selecting a point on a 35-zone grid that is overlaid on the real-time image and also a zoom out button during playback. A small self-explanatory playback button completes the rear controls. There's no Delete button, shooting mode dial, or controls for commonly used functions like ISO speed, so the E-PM1 isn't such a good fit for those who like more direct access to a camera's key features.

While chunky lugs for attaching the shoulder strap hang at either side of the camera, thankfully out of the way of fingers and controls, on the right hand flank, if viewing the camera from the back, as with the E-P3 and E-PL3 we find a pair of covered ports for joint USB/AV output and mini HDMI output respectively. This cover, being a weaker plastic element amidst the surrounding brushed metal, is one of the very few flimsy points on the outwardly covetable camera. Again, we leveled the same criticism at the E-PM3's more expensive siblings.

Also plastic-y, but more reassuringly chunky, is the flip-open cover protecting the joint battery and card compartment at the E-PM1's base. The PS-BLS5 rechargeable lithium ion battery supplied with the E-PM1 is good for around 330 shots (the exact same performance as we got from the E-PL3). There is the option here to use all varieties of SD media card too, up to and including SDXC cards. Dead centre, but slightly off-centre of the lens, is a screw thread for attaching a tripod.

Overall the E-PM1 is a real challenger to its principal rivals, retaining most of the key features of the E-P3 and E-PL3 while wrapping them up in a sleeker, smaller, lighter and many would say sexier package. We're sorry to have seen the built-in flash sacrificed on the altar of style, even if a plastic-y clip-on alternative comes supplied in the box, although it is perhaps understandable given the target audience, as is the complete removal of several key controls in order to make the user interface less intimidating. But, handling aside, how does the E-PM1 acquit itself when it comes to image quality? Read on to find out…

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.

The Olympus E-PM1 produces photos of excellent quality. Noise is very well handled, being virtually absent from ISO 200-1600 and not being too obvious at the relatively fast speed of ISO 3200. At ISO 6400, noise is easily detectable when viewing images at 100% magnification on screen, but the images are still perfectly usable for small prints and resizing for web use. The fastest setting of ISO 12800 looks good on the specification sheet, but proves much less so in reality.

Colours were vibrant without being over-saturated in the default Natural picture mode, and you can always choose Vivid if you want even more punch. The 6 art filters quickly produce special effects that would otherwise require you to spend a lot of time in the digital darkroom, while the various Picture Modes provide a quick and easy way to tweak the camera's JPEG images.

Image stabilisation via the camera body is a very useful feature that works well when hand-holding the E-PM1 in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range. The 12.3 megapixel images were a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpening setting and ideally require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting. The built-in flash takes full advantage of the E-PM1's various flash modes, with good exposure and no red-eye.

Noise

There are 7 ISO settings available on the Olympus E-PM1. 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-PM1 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 15 seconds at ISO 200. We've included a 100% crop to show what the quality is like.

Night Shot

Night Shot (100% Crop)

Image Stabilisation

The Olympus E-PM1 has an anti-shake mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than normal. To test this, I took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with anti shake turned off, the second with it turned on. Here are some 100% crops of the images to show the results. As you can see, with anti shake turned on, the images are sharper than with anti shake turned off.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length

Anti Shake Off (100% Crop)

Anti Shake On (100% Crop)

1/5th / 28mm
     
1/5th / 82mm

Art Filters

The Olympus E-P3 offers 6 different Art Filters, which allow you to quickly apply an artistic effect to a photo before taking it (JPEG images only). The most useful of these is Soft Focus, because the FourThirds system lacks a dedicated soft focus lens, and the effect would require advanced knowledge of layers, blurring methods and blending modes if you were to reproduce it in post-processing. Note that applying the Art Filters slows the camera down somewhat as the camera takes several seconds to process and save the image.

Pop Art

Soft Focus

   

Grainy Film

Pin Hole

   

Diorama

Dramatic Tone

Picture Modes

Olympus' Picture Modes are essentially pre-set combinations of saturation, contrast and sharpness, except for the i-Enhance mode that aims to optimise each photo individually. You can tailor each Picture Mode to your needs. The following examples demonstrate the differences across the available Picture Modes.

i-Enhance

Vivid

   

Natural

Muted

   

Portrait

Monotone

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Olympus E-PM1 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-PM1 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

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920 x 1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 15 second movie is 39.2Mb in size.

Product Images

Olympus E-PM1

Front of the Camera

 
Olympus E-PM1

Front of the Camera / Lens Locked

 
Olympus E-PM1

Front of the Camera / Lens Locked

 
Olympus E-PM1

Front of the Camera / Lens Unlocked

 
Olympus E-PM1

Front of the Camera / Lens Unlocked

 
Olympus E-PM1

Rear of the Camera

 
Olympus E-PM1

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

 
Olympus E-PM1

Rear of the Camera / Turned On

 
Olympus E-PM1

Rear of the Camera / Shooting Mode

 

Olympus E-PM1

Rear of the Camera / Main Menu

 
Olympus E-PM1
Rear of the Camera / Art Filters Menu
 
Olympus E-PM1
Rear of the Camera / OK Menu
 
Olympus E-PM1
Top of the Camera
 
Olympus E-PM1
Bottom of the Camera
 
Olympus E-PM1
Side of the Camera
 
Olympus E-PM1
Side of the Camera
 
Olympus E-PM1
Front of the Camera
 
Olympus E-PM1
Front of the Camera
 
Olympus E-PM1
Memory Card Slot
 
Olympus E-PM1
Battery Compartment
 
Olympus E-PM1
Front of the Camera / Flash Unit
 
Olympus E-PM1
Front of the Camera / Flash Unit
 
Olympus E-PM1
Front of the Camera / Flash Unit
 
Olympus E-PM1
Front of the Camera / Flash Unit
 
Olympus E-PM1
Rear of the Camera / Flash Unit
 
Olympus E-PM1
Rear of the Camera / Flash Unit

Conclusion

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 userbase.

Whereas the E-PL3 felt slightly compromised in the pursuit of style thanks to the omission of a built-in flash, the E-PM1's reliance on the same external unit seems more understandable given the significant reduction in size and weight. Similarly the inclusion of a fixed screen rather than the tilting variety is also acceptable, especially given that it offers exactly the same high resolution, as is the absence of a handgrip. Our main caveat with the shrinking of the E-PM1's body lies in the removal of some key controls, with the lack of a shooting mode dial, ISO button and even a Delete button making it much more difficult to access what are commonly used functions, at least by experienced users - point and shoot users will likely not notice their absence, at least until they themselves become more skillful.

Performance wise though it hardly differs from the E-PL3 and indeed the range-topping E-P3, and so, on a positive note, there will be those tempted to save themselves quite a bit of cash by plumping for the more 'affordable' E-PM1. Viewed as part of the new PEN range, for us the E-PM1 is the best choice if you don't require all of the E-P3's bells and whistles, but you do want the same excellent image quality and lightning fast auto-focusing wrapped up in a more beginner-friendly and better-looking body. Where the E-PL3 felt like a half-way house between style and substance, the new E-PM1 delivers on both counts without breaking the bank. Highly Recommended.

4.5 stars

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

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Olympus E-PM1 from around the web.

pcmag.com »

The Olympus E-PM1 may be the smallest member of the Micro Four Thirds PEN family, but it delivers the same solid build quality and good-looking images as its larger siblings—and it’s lightning fast.
Read the full review »

ephotozine.com »

The Olympus PEN Mini E-PM1 is the smallest Olympus PEN released and introduces a whole new range of "Mini" PENs, assuming Olympus go on to release the E-PM2 and E-PM3 in coming years. To enable the smallest PEN yet, Olympus has developed a new smaller shutter system, shared with the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 and chopped off even more bits to make this camera teeny tiny.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Type
Body material Metal
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds
Image Sensor
Type 4/3 '' Live MOS sensor
Effective pixels 12.3 Megapixels
Filter array Primary colour filter (RGB)
Aspect ratio & area 4:3 / 17.3 x 13.0 mm
Full resolution 13.1 Megapixels
Engine
Type TruePic VI
Filter
Dust reduction filter Supersonic Wave Filter
IR cut filter Hybrid type
LPF filter Fixed type
Live View
Displayed information Aperture, Shutter speed, Auto bracket, AE lock, Focus mode, Shooting mode, Battery check, My Mode, IS activating mode, Internal temperature warning, Face / Eye detection mode, Record mode, ISO, Sequential shooting mode , White Balance, Metering mode, Exposure compensation value, AF frame display, AF confirmation mark, Shooting information, Spot metering area, Super FP, Flash status, Touch Panel Condition, Focal length, Eye-Fi condition, Flash mode
AF type Contrast detection system
100% field of view Approx. 100 %
Magnification levels 5 / 7 / 10 / 14 x
Image Stabiliser
Type Sensor shift
Modes Two-dimensional, vertical or horizontal activation
Shutter speed range 2 - 1/4000 s (not available when Bulb is selected)
Focusing System
Method Contrast Detection AF system (when non high-speed contrast AF compatible lens is used, it works as MF assist)
Focus areas 35 points / Automatic and manual selection
AF lock Yes , Locked by first position of shutter release button in single AF mode, AE/AF lock button (customised)
Modes Manual focus, Single AF, Continuous AF, Single AF + MF, AF Tracking
AF illuminator Yes
Face Detection extension Eye Detect AF: Off, Left side priority, Near side priority, Right side priority
Full time AF Yes
Manual focus Yes , With enlarged focusing area
Exposure System
Modes Programme automatic, i-Auto, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual, Scene Modes, Art Filter
Exposure compensation +/- 3 EV ( 1, 1/2, 1/3 steps )
Exposure bracketing 2 / 3 / 5 frames ( +/- 1/3, 2/3, 1 EV steps )
7 frames ( +/- 1/3, 1/2, 2/3 EV steps )
ISO bracketing 5 frames ( 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps )
AE lock Yes (Fn1/Rec button)
My Mode 4 settings storable
Enhancement function Shadow Adjustment Technology
Scene Modes
Number of scene modes 24
Modes Portrait, e-Portrait, Landscape, Landscape with Portrait, Macro, Sports, Night Scene, Night Scene with portrait, Children, High key, Low key, Digital Image Stabilisation, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Documents, Panorama, Fireworks, Beach and Snow, Fisheye converter, Macro converter, 3D
Multi-Exposure
Max. number of frames 2 frames (shooting)
3 frames (editing)
Auto gain control Yes
Frame assistance Live View
Light Metering
Method TTL open aperture light metering
Zones 324 zones Multi-pattern Sensing System
Detection range 0 - 20 EV (17mm f2.8, ISO 100)
Modes ESP light metering, Spot metering, Centre weighted metering, Highlight, Shadow
Art Filter
Modes Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Dramatic Tone
Sensitivity
Auto ISO 200 - 12800 (customisable, default ISO 200 - 1600)
Manual ISO 200 - 12800
Shutter
Shutter type Computerised focal-plane shutter
Self timer 2 s / 12 s
Shutter Speeds
Shutter speed range 1/4000 - 60 s (in 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps)
Bulb mode Up to 30 minutes (selectable longest time in the menu, default: 8 minutes)
White Balance
AUTO WB system Advanced detection system with Live MOS sensor
Manual White balance (One-Touch) Yes
White balance bracketing 3 frames / +/- 2, 4, 6 mired steps
One-touch white balance 2 custom settings can be registered
Custom WB 1 setting can be registered at Kelvin temperature (2000K - 14000K)
Preset values Tungsten, Flourescent 1, Sunlight, Flash, Overcast, Shade
Auto Flash adjustment Off / Auto WB / Flash
Keep warm colour On / Off
Sequence Shooting
Speed (H) Approx. 4.1 fps
Approx. fps 5.5 fps (when I.S. is switched off)
Image Processing
Colour space sRGB / AdobeRGB
Sharpness + Contrast 5 levels
Contrast 5 levels
Saturation 5 levels
Black & White filter Yellow, Orange, Red, Green
Black & White toning Sepia, Blue, Purple or Green in Black & White mode
Picture mode i-Enhance, Vivid, Natural, Portrait, Muted, Monotone, Art Filter
Gradation 4 levels (auto, high key, normal, low key)
Engine TruePic VI
Art Filter bracketing Available
Tele converter effect 2 x
Internal Flash
Modes AUTO, Manual, Manual (Full, 1/4, 1/16, 1/64), Red-eye reduction, Slow synchronisation with red-eye reduction, Slow synchronisation, Slow synchronisation 2nd curtain, Fill-in, Off
Type Detachable flash (bundled)
Flash compensation +/- 3 EV ( 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps )
Guide number 10 (ISO 200)
Manual settings Full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64
X-sync speed 1/160 s
External Flash Control
X-sync speed 1/160 s / 1/4000 s (Super FP Mode)
Type TTL AUTO, AUTO, MANUAL, FP TTL AUTO, FP MANUAL
Modes Auto, Red-eye reduction, Slow synchronisation, 2nd curtain and slow synchronisation, Fill-in for exclusive flash, Manual
Intensity +/- 3 EV ( 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps )
Note: Some functions are only available if they are supported by the external flash.
Wireless Flash Control
Number of channels 4 channels
Compatible external flash FL-50R, FL-36R, FL-300R
Control method Triggered and controlled by built-in flash light
Group setting 3 groups
Available when used together with cameras compatible with the Olympus wireless RC flash system.
Monitor
Monitor type LCD
Monitor size 7.6 cm / 3.0 '' (16:9)
Resolution 460000 dots
Brightness adjustment +/- 7 levels
Colour balance A-B: +/-7 levels, G-M: +/-7 levels
Super Control Panel
Displayed information Battery indicator, Record mode, Shutter speed, Aperture value, Exposure compensation indicatior, ISO, AE bracketing, AF frame, Focus mode, AEL notification, Face detection, Number of storable frames, Metering mode, Exposure mode, Exposure level view, Flash compensation value, Colour space, Gradation, Colour saturation compensation value, Sharpness compensation value, Contrast compensation value, White balance, White balance compensation value, Noise reduction, Flash mode, Drive mode, Internal temperature warning, Histogram
Recording Formats
RAW 12 bit
RAW & JPEG Yes parallel recording
JPEG Yes
Aspect ratio 4:3 / 3:2 / 16:9 / 6:6 / 3:4
MPO (3D) Yes
Image Size
RAW 4032 x 3024 compressed / 13.8 MB / frame
4032 x 3024 Fine (compression: 1/4) / 5.9 MB / frame
4032 x 3024 Normal (compression: 1/8) / 2.7 MB / frame
2560 x 1920 Normal (compression: 1/8) 1.1 MB / frame
1024 x 768 Normal (compression: 1/8) / 0.3 MB / frame
Still Image Recording
EXIF 2.2
PIM III
DPOF Yes
DCF Yes
Movie Recording System
Recording format AVCHD / AVI Motion JPEG®
Image Stabilisation Mode Yes Digital Image Stabilisation
HD Movie quality Full HD 1920 x 1080 (16:9) 60i, 17Mbps (AVCHD)
Full HD 1920 x 1080 (16:9) 60i, 13Mbps
HD 1280 x 720 (16:9) 60p, 17Mbps
HD 1280 x 720 (16:9) 60p, 13Mbps
HD 1280 x 720 (16:9) / 30fps (AVI Motion JPEG®)
Movie quality 640 x 480 / 30fps (AVI Motion JPEG®) 14min.
Max. recording time 14 min (SD) / 7 min (HD) (AVI Motion JPEG®)*
29 min (HD) (AVCHD)
Max. file size 2 GB (Motion-JPEG)
4 GB (AVCHD)
Exposure Modes Aperture priority, Art Filter, Manual, Programme automatic, Shutter priority
Sound Recording System
Internal microphone Stereo
External microphone Optional
Recording format Dolby Digital (AVCHD)
Stereo PCM/16bit, 48kHz, Wave Format Base (Motion-JPEG)
Image footage 30 s
Speaker Yes
View Images
Modes Index, Calendar, Zoom, Slide show, Movie, Single
Light box Yes
Histogram in playback mode Yes
Shooting information Off / On
Erase / Protect / Copy Function
Erase modes Single, All, Selected
Image protect mode Single frame, Selected frames, All Frames, Release protect (Single/All selected)
Image Editing
RAW data edit Yes
Red-eye reduction Yes
Sepia Yes
Black & White Yes
Resize Yes
Correction of saturation Yes
Shadow Adjustment Yes
Trimming Yes
e-Portrait Yes
Menu
Menu languages in camera English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Czech, Dutch, Danish, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Croatian, Slovenian, Hungarian, Greek, Slovak, Turkish, Latvian, Estonian, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Serbian
Customisation Options
My Mode 4 settings storable
Interface
Media SD Memory Card (SDHC, SDXC, UHS-I compatible) Class 6 is recommended for Movie shooting
HDMI™ Yes Mini connector (type C) *
USB 2.0 High Speed Yes
Combined V & USB output Yes NTSC or PAL selectable
* "HDMI", the HDMI logo and "High-Definition Multimedia Interface" are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC.
Eye-Fi Card compatible Yes
Bluetooth® Yes (with optional adapter PENPAL)
Power Supply
Battery Lithium-Ion Battery
Sleep mode 1, 3, 5, 10 min. and off selectable.
Live View shooting Approx. 330 images (50% with Live View) /
Environment
Temperature 0 - 40 °C operating temperature / -20 - 60 °C storage temperature
Humidity 30 - 90 % operation humidity / 10 - 90 % storage humidity
Size
Dimensions (W x H x D) 109.5 x 63.7 x 34.0 mm (without protrusions)
Weight 265 g (including battery and memory card)
217 g (body only)
Exterior
Available Colours Black, Silver, White, Brown, Purple, Silver-Rose

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