We almost forgot there is a new PEN 🙂 Here are two new reviews of the Olympus E-PL7:
Photographyblog writes:
In truth though there may be little that is truly revolutionary compared to previous recent iterations of the Pen series, this is another solid entry that looks the part and performs well. So, if you are seeking a lighter alternative to a DSLR that is still capable of taking some stunning pictures on occasion, then the 16.1 effective megapixel Olympus E-PL7 will be worthy of a place on your wish list.
ThePhoBlographer writes:
Most people coming to this camera as newcomers to Olympus will get a great machine. However, for those who have been following the Micro Four Thirds world closely, there’s nothing terribly exciting about the E-PL7 other than some reshuffled technology. Personally, I would hold out for Olympus to introduce a camera with an all new sensor after so many years.
E-PL7 specs and price links:
Silver E-PL7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, GetOlympus, Wex UK.
Black E-PL7 body at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, GetOlympus, Wex UK.
Silver E-PL7 with lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, GetOlympus, Wex UK.
Black E-PL7 with lens at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto, GetOlympus, Wex UK.
White E-PL7 at Wex UK.
20 Responses
“Personally, I would hold out for Olympus to introduce a camera with an all new sensor after so many years”.
ThePhoBlographer
Why? Its olympus. Not canon.
Exactly, so you know Oly will likely update their sensor within a few years unlike Canon, that can sit on a minor sensor iteration for what feels like generations.
Oly kept the same 12 MP sensor in ALL their m43rds cameras up to the EM5. (july 2009->april 2012! that’s almost 4 years!) It sure felt long in the tooth.
So Oly likely to upgrade their sensor? Sure, eventually.
But it’s not exactly like they have a good track record in this regard.
You mean almost three years.
I think sensor refreshes every 3 years is reasonable. There is more to image quality than sensor alone. Look at what Panasonic (and Sony) is now doing again with 12MP.
instead of coming with a new generation sensor only, other kind of sensors would be more interesting like e see sometimes in medium format sensors like an IR.monochrome or square one, at least if they are still doing that(and can hold the price for such one within reasonable rates)
+1 but it wont happen. All special (e.g. astrophotography) solutions that I know of are 3rd-party mods.
The Phoblographer shouldn’t expect a new sensor in an E-PLx model anyway.
I have never found the Phobolographer reviews to be that good. They are neither technical like normal reviews, nor do they have the enthusiastic charm of real world based user reviews like SteveHuff. Most of the time their conclusions come forward as somewhat odd.
Unlike the very minor camera flaws, both of the reviews are deeply flawed with an incorrect diagnosis. As usual, this old, brainless, very biased complaint centers around an untrue claim, that the sensor is not any good. The Sony sourced sensor in the E-M5 performed with indistinguishable awesomeness compared to the Sony sourced 16-megapixel sensor in the Nikon D-5100. It got raves. No. The problem with the E-PL7 is another sensor, half the area of four thirds, but with great press. The Sony sourced one-inch sensor does not pretend to perform as well as the four thirds, it is more or less one stop short on noise at ISO 1600, but everybody has fast glass mounted in front, effectively bestowing a two stops advantage over the pokey interchangeable lenses offered on pen-type cameras. Although the LX100 lens can be seen as the ingenious fixed-mount way to skin the cat, all we need to make the Pen interesting, to level the playing field against the competition from below, is an interchangeable, f2.5 to 4.0 pancake zoom. You’d get the same good use out of ISO 3200 when needed, and a faster shutter nearly all of the time. These people, who are high on their APS-C sensors, need to sober up and take a technology lesson and review the results before repeating worn out conclusions.
The reviews seem to be making the assumption that m43 is appealing only to repeat buyers who want to upgrade older models. I find that a bit odd, and would be interested to know the percentages between upgraders vs newcomers to the system, and other systems for comparison. BTW, are you saying the EPL7 has a 1-inch sensor? It has the same m43 sensor as the EM5. But you may have hit on a potentially good idea there: make the EPM series with 1″ sensors instead but keep the m43 mount. I think there would be interesting possibilities to be explored.
A micro 4/3 mount in front of a one inch sensor? Where would it fit in the market? I already think the Nikon One system is a dumb product that nobody asked for. Every serious photographer requires excellent 3200 ISO and a great set of lenses. At the moment, one inch cannot do any justice at 3200 ISO. I think the previous two bits of prose were centered on a proposal for Olympus to get itself together and give us an f2.8 to 4.0, pancake zoom for FourThirds. Without the competitive lens, it is hard to take the Pen seriously as an alternative to a bunch of other very convenient cameras. On the DSLM side we already have plenty of fantastic glass to be happy about. If you gotta have it, the expense is a bargain. Nobody wants big glass in the convenient, rangefinder-type mid-level market. The LX100 hits a bulls-eye with a fixed-lens answer that leads where the Pen idea should be going as fast as it can wake itself up. The problem is, there is no way to create an interchangeable zoom as compact as the LX100 fixed lens because there is no space in the body for the lens to retract. The whole thing has to sit out front of the mount. The f2.8 to 4.0 idea works because the LX100 trades pixels for aperture, and in fact, the LX100 aperture is mostly in the f2.4 range anyway. If you can retake the pixels and give us a very good aperture, such a lens would hold the one-inch “competition” at bay and give us a Pen to sit next to the LX100. At the moment, I cannot see any good reason to buy a Pen unless you are simply enamored with Olympus. It is cute, but not nearly magic enough. A selfie-oriented tilt panel does not a great camera make.
Amen to that! A 12-40/2.8-4 on a sub-PM2 sized body with at least 3-axis IBIS and all the manual controls of the P5. Unfortunately Oly does not get it.
Yeah, give us a new sensor every year!
… and double the price of the cam because of this.
Some people will never understand that the sensor is only one part of the equation.
There’s not a lot of “new” in this camera but it’s a solid offering. Great build and better ergonomics than it’s predecessor. The sensor is still very good.
Yes, people here are always talking about how disappointed they are in the new PENs being too similar to older PENs. But most of us don’t buy every single model, so these small iterations tend to really add up over time.
I recently replaced my EPL2 with the EM10. On paper (outside of the EVF) that shouldn’t be an enormous upgrade. In practice, it really is a huge, HUGE upgrade. The speed, the size, the ergonomics, the high ISO noise (both the amount of it, and the character), the battery life — everything about it is much better.
Will the ever be an EP7? I want the 5-axis stabilization instead of the 3-axis.
Olympus needs to wisen up and give us 1) that EP with a built-in EVF, and 2) the Trip-D. Drop the EPL series, keep the EPM as the small and fun GM alternative like the EPM1 was (EPM2 was good, but starting to lose the plot). Come on, cynically making more of the same failing product is not going to win you market share.
i am glad EPL does not have EVF, I have no use of it, I like it small, misleadingly discreet, I am used to Iphone, focusing on touch screen is great and using an EVF looks a bit camera jerk, “screen is far more people friendly”
I said EP, not EPL.