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Olympus Pen E-PL1s invites Micro Four Thirds confusion

Is it one Olympus Pen E-PL1s, singular, or is it several Olympus Pen E-PL1s, plural? See what we have to put up with as we bring your the best of technology.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
Richard Trenholm
2 min read

Olympus is inviting all kinds of confusion with the new Olympus Pen E-PL1s Micro Four Thirds camera. Look at that written down: is it one Olympus Pen E-PL1s, singular, or is it several Olympus Pen E-PL1s, plural? See the problems we have to deal with in our quest to bring the best of technology.

The E-PL1s is an update to the E-PL1. It's an incremental change, with most of the upgrades taking place under the bonnet. There's a new battery design, and the ISO speed has been raised to ISO 6400.

The camera is bundled with a new, lighter kit lens -- 25 per cent lighter, no less. The Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens now has a faster and quieter internal autofocus motor. The near-silent AF means that it won't be audible in your videos as the focus adjusts.

The E-PL1 was the first in the Olympus Pen range with a built-in flash. As the most affordable in Olympus' Micro Four Thirds line-up, we reckoned it deserved one of our prestigious and highly sought-after Editor's Choice Awards. Like the E-PL1, the new camera is a 12-megapixel snapper with a CMOS sensor and 69mm (2.7-inch) screen, packing a hot shoe and HDMI output for high definition playback.

The E-PL1s will be available in red and black as well as the signature Pen retro white and cream. Although we love the louche styling of the Pen range, a bit of variety in the colours should attract those who aren't so keen on the vintage look in the Pen E-P1 and Pen E-P2.

UK pricing and launch haven't been confirmed yet. If you're desperate to pick up this latest Pen in the foreseeable, you'll have to nip on over to Japan. It's better there anyway.