Our very own Esmerelda Clark road-tests the Olympus PEN EP-3 digital camera. If you have an item for discerning and modern ladies and gentlemen and would like to submit your product for consideration, please click here.
Sweet readers, I am just a simple girl on the go who wants my photographic equipment to fit in my handbag at the racing, look delightful and most importantly, get the job done. If you want a technical evaluation, I encourage you to check the reviews at Wired or A Viewfinder Darkly (which even has graphs). When it was suggested that I review the Olympus PEN EP-3 digital camera, I was enthusiastic but inexpert. I also asked, “Whatever happened to EP 1 an 2?” (Do not be alarmed, apparently they do still exist). So let us run the camera through its paces in accordance with my rigorous testing criteria.
1. Does the equipment fit in my handbag for Spring Racing?
Behold the camera on top of my clutch. This is not my actual clutch for spring as I have not yet purchased it and intend to procure something in a cheerful pastel. However, for a size comparison it is right in the money. As you can see, the camera fits yet the internal view suggests that once makeup, credit cards, keys and telephone are added, it would get a little snug. I’m sorry to start with a note of trepidation but I feel we should be honest with each other. Let’s move on.
2. Does it look delightful?
I think the answer here is “Emphatically, yes.” The camera is retro-styled, to echo the Olympus cameras of the ’60s and ’70s and gives you a James Bond feeling (Connery rather than Moore, although to be fair, either would have been taking a photo with a small ballpoint pen, so perhaps it’s more accurate to say it gives you a feeling like a modest walk-on part in a Bond film photographing the Bond girl, but bear with me). It even has an adorable pop-up flash whose intensity you can control. (If only one could say that about some people.)
3. Does it get the job done?
It totally does. And then some. Let’s consider it in earnest. This camera is apparently “designed for photographers who want total control over their creative vision with a camera portable enough to travel the world.” This description sounds a little out of my league but I’m going to take the view that it is supposed to be easy enough for a novice to use but fancy enough for an enthusiast to start taking photos they could conceivably put on the front of festive cards if they were crafty, or show parents and friends as part of a post-holiday montage over Camparis. One must start by fitting the lens onto the camera. For a complete novice, this was baffling. Reading the instructions no doubt would have helped me but having ignored them, I was eventually able to do this task on my own without breaking the camera. An excellent beginning. Later, I tried to get it off and was again able to complete this work without a visit to the repair shop. Good times. The EP3 claims to have the world’s fastest auto-focus. To test this feature, I went outside and started to take photos rapidly, barely looking through the lens, the way Austin Powers does when he tells the models they are lemurs except I was photographing bees and blossoms. It’s pretty fancy. Below are a couple of photos with my ordinary tiny digital camera (on the left) and then photos with the Olympus EP3 (on the right). The difference is starkly apparent in the clarity and colours, which would make some first-year Fine Arts students weep. I also noticed the incredible difference in how quickly the EP3 was ready to take another photo compared with my existing humble little camera.
Along with the obviously good picture quality, it also has a host of great features such as:
- a three-inch, fingerprint protected touch-screen, which allows you navigate the camera;
- the ability to shoot up to 29 minutes of HD video which is useful for that short film you’ve been intending to make because you’re very creative, just let it shine, darling;
- an in-camera level gauge so you can check if your subjects are straight (also handy for those DIY jobs around the home such as hanging the photos afterwards);
- in-built image stabilisation to prevent blurry shots;
- a mini super sonic wave to shake any dust off the lens each time you switch it on (if you were in a Bond film, also a handy weapon);
- as well as all the normal stuff like red-eye reduction, automatic flash and zoom.
The in-camera Art Filters are pretty much the coolest thing and allow you to create pop art, soft focus and “dramatic tone”. Check out the website to see a demonstration.
Do I want one?
I am not a very regular photographer, but with the Olympus PEN EP3, I can totally understand how you could get hooked on it. The quality of the image is truly beautiful and the camera is easy to use. Retailing from $999, the cost may prove a stumbling block for a complete novice whose focus is drunken shots at house parties, but if you want to take the next step and start making something really interesting with your camera, I highly recommend this Bond-worthy item.
Published on 30 September 2011 by Esmerelda Clark