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Olympus Pen E-PL1

Based on 60 reviews

Excellent:

14
Good:

31
Average:

12
Bad:

3

Pros

Costs less than others in its class, Interchangeable lenses, Shoots 720p video, RAWJPEGcapable, Solidly built, Has popup flash.
Small size & decently portable, Builtin flash, RAW images & 720p video, Manual & automatic shooting
Reasonable price, Small size, iAuto Mode, Built-in flash.
Solid number of features for pros and novices alike; iAuto mode is brilliant for novice shooters; good picture quality.
Good image quality for the price, Solid kit lens, High quality video, Builtin flash.
Good image quality, sturdy build quality, simple interface design, auto modes work well, ability to save in RAW and JPEG simultaneously in all modes, 720p video recording
Excellent resolution with lots of detail in the shots, Point-and-shoot interface that also allows user interaction, Superb JPEG engine makes camera's full capability easily accessible, Reliable metering and white balance (in natural light), Good AF pe
Excellent detail, small form
Excellent, natural stills, Very low noise, even at high ISOs, Compact, lightweight, Loved the 17mm lens
Excellent build quality; very good photo quality; can shoot raw+JPEG in every mode, including Art Filters and iAuto.
Currently the east-expensive Micro Four Thirds camera you can buy. Beautiful, sharp images. Newbie-friendly features.
Good price, New Art modes are fun, Built-in flash, It's only a small thing, but I really like the battery door, Command dial on top of the camera, Video mode & direct button
Image quality is outstanding, especially compared to others in its price range, EPL1 is very easy to use, Shop around, as prices have dropped recently, making it a very good value, Camera has a "retro" look and design, which is appealing, EPL1 is a nice c

Cons

Slow performance in tests, Limited lens selection, No optical viewfinder, Battery life
Mediocre LCD display, Daunting menu & navigation, Poor lowlight video quality
Poorly-designed interface, Sub-par LCD screen
Not as nicelooking as the EP2; video quality a mixed bag.
Possibly oversimplified control, No builtin viewfinder, Art Filters of limited use, Not as quick as it could be.
Boxy design, small display, no built-in optical viewfinder, interface looks a bit dated, slow autofocus, bit expensive
Some highlight clipping (and poor dynamic range at ISO 100), Low resolution screen that's hard to see in bright light, No orientation sensor means having to rotate every portrait image manually, Exposure controls slow and awkward to use (by DSLR stand
Some noise/noise reduction issues, low resolution LCD
Too expensive, Not many lens options, No viewfinder
Slow, with sluggish autofocus; short battery life; low-resolution LCD.
Sluggish autofocus. Noticeable shutter lag. Flimsy-feeling build. Proprietary USB port.
Colour reproduction
Full manual controls are available, but can be tricky to find, Position of popup flash unit is a little awkward, Autofocus sometimes works slowly in low light, at least with kit lens, LCD works OK in sunlight, but it should be larger and have less glare i

By Tech2 on June 23, 2011

The Olympus E-PL1 sells at a market operating price of Rs. 22,999. While this may be a decent camera in terms of image quality; this is definitely not the newest. Olympus recently launched the E-PL2 which has a larger screen with more controls. On the...

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By ConsumerSearch on November 01, 2010

Micro Four Thirds is a new breed of pocket-sized cameras that act more like digital SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras -- and experts say the Olympus PEN E-PL1 is the best of the bunch. It's also one of the least expensive. The E-PL1 shaves costs by...

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By Trusted Reviews on August 28, 2010

Just over a year ago I reviewed the , Olympus's first foray into the compact system camera market. The review was generally positive, but I criticised the camera's lack of a built-in flash and relatively high price compared to contemporary...

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By Photoxels on August 15, 2010

The Olympus E-PL1 is a Digital Interchangeable Lens (DIL, aka “mirrorless DSLR”) camera with an “almost retro” charm all its own, good handling, very good image quality and much improved low noise high ISO capabilities. Though...

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By TechReviewSource on August 11, 2010

The Olympus PEN E-PL1 is a small camera that's filled with advanced technology found on larger cameras. It's a portable and easy-to-use digital camera that offers 12.3 megapixels, RAW image shooting, 720p HD video recording, and more.The E-PL1...

60
By Macworld on August 04, 2010

Sitting somewhere between a point-and-shoot and a DSLR, compact interchangeable-lens cameras offer substantially lower bulk and weight than a DSLR, but more features than a pocket camera. The third Olympus camera to enter this category is the...

60
By TechSmart.co.za on August 03, 2010

Olympus' PEN E-PL1 retails for under R8000, which should put its relatively compact body with regular DSLR sensor size and interchangeable lens system in reach of a wider audience. Although it impresses us with good quality pictures and easy to use...

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By Digital Photography School on August 01, 2010

Olympus keeps pushing the PEN, obviously feeding a market need. Now we see an entry level Micro Four Thirds model – the Olympus PEN E-PL1 – that should satisfy the less well-heeled and tech-challenged photographers out there.It’s hard...

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By RegHardware on July 23, 2010

With the E-P1 and E-P2 Olympus was targeting the enthusiasts and the serious photographers who were looking for a lighter and smaller alternative to a DSLR. The E-PL1 reflects a market shift by Olympus as it is aimed at the beginner and the compact...

85
By Buy-n-Shoot on July 19, 2010

The Olympus E-PL1 put simply is a photographer’s dream. Whether you’re a DSLR user looking for a capable and affordable compact unit to add to your kit or an amateur photographer looking for a user-friendly unit to intuitively help you...

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