Super small, super smart Olympus PEN E-PL3 set to hit the shops

The Gadget Show  Wednesday 27 July 2011

We love a decent camera as much as the next man, and it looks like the new Olympus PEN E-PL3 Micro Four Thirds offering could be with us in the near future. With a desirable design, top-notch build quality and a great set of features, we can’t wait to get out hands on the E-PL3.

The Olympus E-PL3 is the latest camera in the tiny PEN range, offering a high quality alternative to compact cameras. You’ll be able to switch lenses to suit your subject matter, yet with no internal mirrors like a DSLR the E-PL3 is a lot smaller.

Images should match the high quality design, thanks to a range of decent lenses and a large 12.3-megapixel MOS sensor. The E-PL3 is capable of shooting at up to 12,800 ISO, although how grainy images get at such a high speed remains to be seen.

The 3-inch screen can be tilted, so you’ll be able to take photographs from loads of different angles, or film concerts while viewing your efforts from arm’s length.

You’ll be able to get the Olympus PEN E-PL3 with two different lenses, with a 14-42mm lens offering a zoom and wide-angle option. If you only intend to take close up photographs, the compact 17mm pancake lens will also be available, keeping the E-PL3 as small as possible.

The Olympus PEN E-PL3 hits the shops in the US in September, so fingers crossed it’ll launch here too in the next few months. It’s set to cost £550 when it does.