Testseek.com have collected 137 expert reviews of the Olympus Pen E-P3 and the average rating is 79%. Scroll down and see all reviews for Olympus Pen E-P3.
July 2011
(79%)
137 Reviews
Average score from experts who have reviewed this product.
Users
(90%)
12 Reviews
Average score from owners of the product.
790100137
The editors liked
Very good photo quality (though see issues below)
Solid
Eyecatching rangefinderstyle body
Interchangeable grips let you find the right comfort level
Sensorshift image stabilization
Stunning 3inch touchscreen OLED display offers great color
Sharpness
And viewing angle
Very fast autofocus performance in nearly all situations
Full manual controls
With lots of white balance options
Five ki
Well thought out body with choice of handgrip sizes
Loads of external controls including dual control dials
Very fast autofocus speeds
Fast prefocused shutter lag
Built-in flash with wireless remote flash support
Touch screen is handy for autofocu...
Excellent overall performance
* Good still and video image quality
* Built-in flash
* Full complement of manual and auto controls
* OLED Semi-touchscreen
Beautiful images and video. Fast performance. Improved autofocus speed over its predecessor. Built-in flash. Big
Bright OLED touch screen.
Low image noise
Conservative metering
Fast contrastdetect AF
Short shutterlag
Almost instant video recording
Generally quick and responsive
Effective builtin stabilization
Excellent automatic Manual Focus Assist
Great LCD visibility and antireflec
BeautifulLoads of buttons and dialsStellar autofocus system
The Olympus PEN E-P3 is an attractively designed camera that's now one of the fastest in its class.
See Also
Olympus PEN EP3 Improves Almost Everything
NextGen Olympus PEN Hits the Micro Four Thirds Sweet Spot
Olympus Pen EP2
Now in RetroTastic Silver
Olympus Puts Pro Sensor into Tiny PEN EPL3 and PEN Lite
New Olympus Pen Adds Flash
Loses Good L
Incredibly high speed
Touchscreen and 3D shooting
Endless customization options
And new hardware for improved
Quicker manual use
User-friendly in-camera UI
Stylish look and comfortable feel
Stylish retro pedigree
1080i60 HD video
Hugely customisable
PASM modes for video
Builtin flash (finally)
Fast autofocus
OLED screen
Manual movie and CAF features
The editors didn't like
Some noise reduction artifacting visible at base ISO
Colors a bit warm for my taste at default settings (totally subjective
Of course)
Hard to see screen in bright outdoor light
Camera can struggle to lock focus in low light
No sensorshift IS in movie mode
AF system slow to react to moving subjects
Some redeye
Can't access memory card slot while camera is on a tripod
No AC adapter availa
Not as compact as some of its competitors
Touchscreen is easily bumped by mistake
High ISO performance and dynamic range not as good as APS-C rivals
Lowest available ISO sensitivity is 200
Low power flash (though better than no flash
And not a sur...
Pricey
* Confusing menu system beyond the basics
* Weak flash output
* Only 3 frames per second continuous shooting
Expensive. A bit heavy and slightly larger than its predecessor. No optical viewfinder. Touch screen interaction can be confusing.
Poor color accuracy
Below average AWB
Useless ISO 12800
No detents on lower controldial
Poor video framing preview accuracy
Modal ExposureCompensation
Histogram disappears during EC
Not always ExposurePriority and frequently wrong LiveHistogram
Un
PriceyNo dedicated ISO wheelPoor low-light performance
Poor video quality and suboptimal default image settings aren't that great
So you really need to shoot raw to get good results at midrange to high ISO sensitivities.
Would benefit from a new
Improved sensor. All that metal means it's no lightweight. It's got so many features and options you might spend more time figuring it out than shooting. What happened to 24fps video?
Abstract: “Never have I found the limits of the photographic potential. Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance.”—W. Eugene Smith The half-frame 35mm Olympus Pen F was introduced in 1963 and featured none other than the lat...
Excellent overall performance, * Good still and video image quality, * Built-in flash, * Full complement of manual and auto controls, * OLED Semi-touchscreen,
Pricey, * Confusing menu system beyond the basics, * Weak flash output, * Only 3 frames per second continuous shooting
Well thought out body with choice of handgrip sizes, Loads of external controls including dual control dials, Very fast autofocus speeds, Fast prefocused shutter lag, Built-in flash with wireless remote flash support, Touch screen is handy for autofocu...
Not as compact as some of its competitors, Touchscreen is easily bumped by mistake, High ISO performance and dynamic range not as good as APS-C rivals, Lowest available ISO sensitivity is 200, Low power flash (though better than no flash, and not a sur...
Along with partner Panasonic, Olympus pretty-much invented the Compact System Camera sector a couple of years ago, and since then their PEN-series models have gone down a treat with the buying public. It's a market that's becoming increasingly competit...
Abstract: The Olympus PEN series has a relatively large sensor, while the system camera itself is not as compact as a digital compact camera. It combines the creative freedom of a digital SLR combined with the ease-of-use of a compact camera. The Olympus...
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Published: 2011-10-21, Author: Philip , review by: popphoto.com
Abstract: Olympus' best ILC just got betterWhat's Hot: Solid build; easy-to-use controls. What's Not: Pixel count lags behind competition. Who it's For: Shooters who appreciate higher-end controls on a rangefinder-style ILC.While most people would have a hard time ...
Quality: a great useable camera that can easily stand in for an upper level DSLR.Why you'd buy the PEN: you want a compact, high quality, interchangeable lens camera.Why you wouldn't: you need more picture control; you dislike changing cards in the camera...
The Olympus E-P3 is a remarkable camera that snaps quality photos, even in difficult lighting conditions. I like the build quality, and the attention to details that Olympus has put into it. Its design will surely catch the attention of classic camera ent...
Stylish retro pedigree, 1080i60 HD video, Hugely customisable, PASM modes for video
Screen hard to see in bright light, Touch screen can freeze conrols, Art filters slow video frame rate
Olympus E-P3 verdict You get a different view of a camera having spent ten days with it in the absence of any other distractions, so this isn't the usual Cameralabs verdict assessing features and specifications and including comparisons with competi...
Published: 2011-08-31, Author: Elias , review by: techworld.com
Without a doubt, this is one of the most fun cameras we've used on a daily basis. There isn't a high learning curve and what you see on its screen is usually what the camera records. It has extensive colour adjustments, Art filters and scene modes. Ba...
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Published: 2011-08-29, Author: Darren , review by: engadget.com
BeautifulLoads of buttons and dialsStellar autofocus system
PriceyNo dedicated ISO wheelPoor low-light performance
The E-P3 doesn't innovate enough from an image quality standpoint to justify an upgrade, and for newcomers, that $900 price point is awfully hard to swallow....
