Olympus Pen E-PL1 June 2010

Olympus has announced its cheapest micro four-thirds camera so far - the Olympus E-PL1 - the successor to 2009's Pen E-P1 and E-P2 models.

We haven't yet had a chance to put the E-PL1 through our extensive lab tests, but here are our hands-on first look impressions.

Olympus E-PL1 first look video review

Olympus claims that this camera offers SLR performance with a lightweight design. At its heart is a 12.3Mp Live MOS sensor - a significantly larger sensor than in a compact camera, though it's still smaller than those typically found in DSLRs.

A key advantage of the E-PL1 over the older models is its integrated pop-up flash. The two predecessors had no built-in flash - you had to use an external flash via the hot shoe.

Olympus Pen reviews

You can read our full lab-based reviews of the earlier Olympus Pen cameras here:

• Olympus E-P1 Pen review
• Olympus E-P2 Pen review

You can also check out a quick overview of both these cameras in our Pen E-P1 video first look and our Pen E-P2 video first look.

The built-in flash on the E-PL1 frees up the hot shoe for use with a supplementary electronic viewfinder. There's no electronic viewfinder built in to the body of the E-PL1 and, because MFT cameras have no internal mirror, they can't offer the optical viewfinders found on DSLRs.

Electronic veiwfinder

The external electronic viewfinder doesn't come packaged with the E-PL1, so must be purchased separately. Otherwise, you are compelled to compose shots on the 2.7-inch LCD display. The screen is bright enough, though it isn't especially large by the standards of modern cameras, and can be obscured by bright sunlight.

The E-PL1 also has an HD movie mode with a one-touch video capture button. It's capable of recording video at 1280x720p resolution and 30 frames per second, but only up to seven minutes in a single take.

For creativity, the E-PL1 has six art filters for still photos and movies, including pop art and sepia-toning filters. Other effects such as grainy film and pin-hole camera are also offered. These art filters are all useable during movie capture as well as still photography.

i-Enhance and i-Auto modes

Olympus has included some other tricks in the E-PL1's arsenal. i-Enhance is claimed to make colours appear vivid and rich, i-Auto mode automatically adjusts camera settings depending on what type of scene or subject you're shooting, and e-Portrait 'gives your subjects a facelift by glossing over impurities'.

The camera's 'Live Guide' simplifies advanced settings into plain language, helping novices try out the more complicated techniques. For example, there is a 'blur background' side-bar to try out. By scrolling up and down the side-bar, the camera lets you blur or sharpen the background as you compose a shot. More advanced users can use the aperture priority mode for the same effect.

The Live Guide function could help the E-PL1 appeal to beginners looking for a versatile camera without the complexity of a DSLR.

Olympus E-PL1 kit options

Olympus is making the E-PL1 available in two bundles: a single lens kit that bundles the E-PL1 with a 14-42mm single zoom lens, and a twin lens kit which includes the E-PL1 and the 14-42mm lens, plus a MMF-1E system adaptor and 40-150mm E-TeleZoom (28-300mm equivalent) zoom lens.

The E-PL1 is available in black, white, champagne and red colours, costing £549 with the single lens kit, or £699 for the twin zoom lens kit.

Pros: Compact system camera, easy Live Guide, art filters, built-in flash, HD movies

Cons: No built-in viewfinder, smaller sensor than many DSLRs