Olympus has officially announced the PEN E-PL7, the company's latest compact system camera, which for once isn't aimed at serious photographers looking for a smaller, pocket-friendly snapper but anyone addicted to shooting selfies. With a flip-down LCD display, retro styling typical of the existing PEN range and interhangeable lenses, it's certainly a big step up from the smartphones most selfie addicts use.
We got to try out one of the first cameras to arrive in the UK ahead of an official launch later this year, in order to bring you some hands-on impressions.
In the flesh, the E-PL7 is a stylish camera with retro looks, just the right amount of physical buttons for an entry-level or mid-range CSC, and small dimensions that make it easy to carry in one hand, wear around your neck using the bundled strap without giving you cramp, or fling into a bag. The textured plastic finish on the front provides plenty of grip and the hand grip makes for a comfortable shooting position, although it doesn't feel as premium as the more expensive PEN E-P5.
That 3in, 1.04million dot LCD touchscreen on the back actually has two separate hinge mechanisms; the first lets you flip the screen up to help with shooting from a low postition, while the second lets you flip it down for that headline-grabbing selfie mode. You'll have to push the screen down slightly to engage the second hinge, which is a little complicated - we would have preferred a single mechanism for simplicity, but it at least holds the screen in place at any angle for when you're trying to get that awkward shot. Smartphone addicts will be able to tap on the screen rather than scramble for the physical shutter button when they're ready to take a picture too. There's no viewfinder to get in the way, and although there's no built-in flash either, Olympus bundles an external one for those low-light moments.
As you might expect given the target audience, Olympus has been sure to add a selection of Instagram-style filters that can be applied to your photos in-camera, along with a selective colour mode complete with adjustable colour wheel for fine-tuning your shots. These have their own dedicated section on the mode dial, so can be called up quickly, and it's also possible to apply the vintage filter effects on photos you've already taken.
Olympus has also tweaked its Photo Story mode, which again appears on the mode dial. It lets you combine multiple images into a photo collage directly on the camera for sharing online or printing, with several new photo layouts and combinations added since the feature first appeared on the E-P5.
Otherwise, the E-PL7 behaves pretty much like every other PEN; you get full PASM modes from the mode dial on the top, as well as intelligent Auto and Movie modes, and with support for the ever-growing range of micro four thirds lenses photographers that consider themselves a little more knowledgable will still be able to get some great shots.
You'll be able to send your photos to a smartphone using built-in Wi-Fi, with pairing handled by scanning a QR code. The accompanying smartphone app has been overhauled to coincide with the launch, with better remote shooting controls, more detailed video recording and added support for live bulb shooting.
Beyond of-the-moment features, the E-PL7 still looks like a capable CSC, with in-body 3-axis image stabilization adapted from the much more expensive OM-D E-M10, a 16.05-megapixel Live MOS sensor and TruePic VII image processor. 81 AF points cover most of the visible frame, and Olympus says the autofocus system is the fastest the company has ever produced. It can shoot in burst at up to 8fps, either for 20 consecutive shots in RAW or until you fill your memory card when shooting in JPEG.
Olympus expects the E-PL7 to go on sale in the UK from October onwards, with prices starting from £499.99 for the camera and a 14-42mm, f3.5-5.6 kit lens.
