Review: Olympus “Pen Mini” E-PM1

Four years after partnering with Panasonic to create the micro four-thirds spec, Olympus has expanded its offerings into an entire range. Today, Olympus’ line of compact micro four-thirds cameras are deemed the “PEN” line. A play on words for the cameras’ small size. The smallest of this series is the “PEN Mini”, also known as the Olympus E-PM1.

The E-PM1 looks to hit the sweet spot for micro four-thirds cameras. It includes the same image sensor of the more high-end PEN models, but removes a number of manual controls and a few nice to have items, such as a tilting LCD. This allows the camera to sell for a current retail price of $399, placing it at bottom end of the micro four-thirds segment.

Hardware: Without sacrificing build quality, the E-PM1 ships in a plastic body. This allows the camera to be offered in a number of colors including Pink, White, Silver, Brown, and the requisite Black. The included 14-42mm kit lens is also suitably compact. Although it uses a collapsible barrel for the lens, have no delusions of fitting the camera in any reasonably sized pockets.

Touring the remainder of the camera body, most all controls have been striped away. There is no mode dial, or other advanced shooting controls. Users are however allowed a convenient movie record button and a multi-function click wheel that allows quick access to flash, burst modes and exposure controls. All other functions are now relocated to an intuitive menu system.

Software: The menu system on the Olympus PEN line of camera warrants special mention. The camera menus on this device are visually pleasing and highly intuitive. In fact, it may be a deciding reason for why a number of users purchase this model. The menu is split into 6 menus stacked vertically. These menus allows access to Art filters, Scene, Manual, and Auto modes. The stylish menu system retains fast access to full manual controls, without confusing the user with a glut of feature options that are likely never used. If Apple were to design a digital camera, it would likely strike a pose similar to the Pen E-PM1.

Performance: Performance for most micro four-thirds camera will typically depend on your reference point. If you are upgrading from a compact model – most everyone will be please with the step up in quality. Low light performance is most improved due in part to the large sensor that can collect more light during these shots. If stepping down from a traditional SRL for portability, you will find the E-PM1 a bag of compromise. While photos are clear, there is little control of JPEG processing, so sharpness does not match that of most SRL’s.

Within the micro four-thirds segment, the E-PM1 has many competitors in its price range, these include offerings from Panasonic, Sony, and Nikon among others. What makes things more favorable for the Olympus is largely how compatible they have made the device. Since it follows the micro four-thirds spec, it can share lenses with Panasonic models, as well as a host of third party lenses and adapters. The camera for better or worse, also includes in-body image stabilization, which means that images are stabilized even when shooting with a pancake lens that typically does not include stabilization hardware. Video recording on the device was also a standout, but for less flattering reasons. The E-PM1 suffers heavily from rolling shutter while recording video. When shooting with the camera stationary, the video was crisp and saturated. Moving the body of the camera in any way while filming however will trigger “wobbling”, or “jiggling” of the video due to the in-body stabilization. This performance problem is typical of cameras with in-body stabilization, but the effect on the E-PM1 are particularly noticeably.

Verdict: Overall, the E-PM1 is an excellent shooter, with a compact body, and a highly compatibly design. Its menu system is easily the best of any camera I have used and should please upgrading compact users – as well as casual SRL shooters. While the simplified control system and video recording hiccups mean hardcore photographers need not apply – the E-PM1 excels in most other categories and is recommended for the other 95% of the population who has not had years of muscle memory trained for hardware controls.