PEN E-P3 First Impressions

I've been drooling over considering the micro 4/3 camera system for several years now and last week I finally pulled the trigger and now am a happy new convert...maybe. I'm sure I'll have much more to say about it in the next few weeks, but I have to say that my initial thought only after a few days is, 'this could be the game changer for me and my dslr...'

Deciding to take the leap was perhaps the easy part, as selecting which of the micro 4/3 cameras to go with proved to be a more difficult task and I spent a lot of time on the internet reading numerous reviews and opinions.  Before anything else, I already made up my mind not to go with the latest and the newest model of any brand since I really couldn't afford the price tag anyways, and I was really okay going with one previous model down.  This being my first introduction to the mirrorless system and not knowing to what extent it'll play into my photography needs, I set my budget around $300.

The first micro 4/3 camera that I fell in love with back in 2009 was the Panasonic Lumix GF1, so for me, the Lumix GF3 seemed like the obvious choice. However, the more I did my research, the more I started leaning towards the Olympus PEN line.  Without going too much into detail, I ended up choosing the PEN E-P3, mainly because it appeared to allow for more manual control and customization than the GF3, and for the inclusion of the hotshoe which would allow me the option of adding an external flash, should I ever need to. Plus, I really loved the vintage look and feel of the Olympus over the more "cute" look of the Lumix GF3, although the white version of it did look pretty sweet. I also did not choose the smaller, and the cheaper, PEN E-PL3 for roughly the same reasons mentioned above regarding more user controls, but maybe more importantly because it lacked the touch screen capability.  However, it does have one function that I do find very appealing, and that is the tilt screen.  This is one of the upgrades you'll find on the newest PEN E-P5 model, but its asking price is waaaa~y over my budget!  The only other option that was near my comfort zone as far as the asking price goes, was the PEN E-PL5, which has the better, newer sensor, and the touch screen which also articulates, but still with fewer manual controls.  In all reviews and by all accounts, the E-PL5 is definitely the better camera of the two, but it was still close to $200 more than the E-P3 at the time of writing...perhaps it might be the the one I'll upgrade to in the future when the prices come down even further...we'll see.

There are ton of images of the PEN E-P3 out there already, so I'll just share a few:

I absolutely love the vintage look of the PEN E-P3!

it's got a nice solid feel to it, but even for my tiny hand, it's very easy to handle.

included 14-42mm kit lens next to my DSLR 18-55mm lens.

I can't get over how tiny it is!

Had I been willing to spend another $100, I would've gotten the silver version which has a fabulous retro vibe, but I'm still quite happy with the classic all black version.  I know some people do not care for the chrome line detailing, but I personally like it!  It's subtle but still adds a nice little accent to its all black body.

Here are some test shots I've taken on the first couple of days, taken with the 14-42mm kit lens, all JPEGs straight out of the camera, no edits:

@14mm, f/3.5, ISO 2000

@30mm, f/4.8, ISO 320

@14mm, f/3.5, ISO 200

@28mm, f/11, ISO 1250

So far, what I'm noticing the most about the camera is just how fast and accurate the autofocus is, even in low light situation.  From what I understand, this is lens dependent as much and that the speed does drop a bit going to other lenses with older technology.  I'll have to wait and see just how much slower until I get the Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens, but for now, it's blazing fast!  And, call me crazy, but I think the quality looks to be on par with my old, but trusted DSLR, the Nikon D40x...too soon to conclude for now.  One thing the PEN E-P3 does have over my Nikon is its touch screen capability to both focus and to shoot.  It's as intuitive as taking photos with a smartphone--just touch on the screen where you want to focus and you also have the option of firing the shutter just by touch.  For those that have the newest and the baddest DSLR with a touch screen capability already in place, this may not seem like a big deal, but it's definitely something new for me and my old D40x and a wow! factor, for sure.

I'm sure I'll have a lot more to say as I get to know my new toy equipment in time, but already I'm extremely impressed with it.  So far, so good!