Olympus PEN E-PL1 - Good Performance From an Average Looker

Olympus is one of the best known camera manufacturers in the market and though they may not be as popular as Canon or Nikon; they still have a significant name in the camera market. Olympus has had their PEN series cameras for more than half a century. In 2009, the PEN E-P1 with an interchangeable micro four thirds lens was first launched.

Slightly bulky looking camera

The E-PL1 is the cheapest micro four third camera from Olympus, as compared to the E-P1 and E-P2. The Olympus Pen E-PL1 is the camera which we will take a look at today.

Design and Build Quality
The Olympus Pen E-PL1 we received has a matte champagne gold finish with the hand grip in black. There are two other colours available which are white with a beige hand grip and a black version. Overall the design of this camera seems a bit bulky but it is not difficult to hold. The black hand grip at the front of the camera is made of a plastic leather textured finish that adds to the styling of the camera.

2.7-inch screen and well spaced out buttons

Olympus has fitted a 2.7-inch LCD screen which has approximately 230,000 dots. This is good as the whole image scene can be seen through the display. To the right of the monitor are the buttons for playback, menu, info and delete. The buttons are spaced out well and since these are dedicated buttons, they are very convenient. There is also the four way navigational set of buttons that double up as options for flash, timer, points of focus and exposure. There is also a designated button for video recording. The wide angle and telephoto controls are located near the video recording button. There is a switch above the monitor which deploys the flash. All the buttons on the camera are made of plastic and have a nice feel to it.

At the top of the camera lies the flash mount, a dial for the different camera settings the on/off and the shutter button for shooting images. The deployable flash is housed on the top of the camera and flushes neatly along the body of it. Connectivity options on the Olympus PEN E-Pl1 are a mini HDMI port and a USB A/V out port. These ports are located to the right of the camera and are neatly concealed by a plastic flap. The battery and memory card bay lie at the bottom. The flap that conceals the battery is pretty sturdy. On either side of the camera at the top there are metallic loops for attaching a strap. The camera weighs in at approximately 344g which is roughly in between a compact and a DSLR.

Deployable flash is effective

Overall the design and build quality of the PEN E-PL1 is pretty solid, however it may not be one of the best looking cameras around. But that is where the choice of colours come in which may add to the look of this prosumer camera.

Features
Olympus have fitted a 12.1 MP MOS sensor on the E-PL1. Bundled with the camera is an Olympus M. Zuiko digital 14 - 42 mm lens. The highlighted features of this camera are the Live Guide in the iAuto Mode, high definition video recording and a built in image stabilization option.

Mini HDMI connectivity options available

Olympus claims that Live Guide is a feature in this camera which allows one to capture an image one visualizes in their mind. Live Guide also includes a feature called Shooting Tips where there are easy-to-understand descriptions of photographic techniques such as shooting angle, framing and specific points about each subject which are displayed on the LCD monitor.