Olympus reveals specs, pricing for PEN E-PL3
Olympus' midrange interchangeable-lens model is smaller than its predecessor, but it's still a bit pricey relative to the competition.
About a month ago Olympus announced its PEN interchangeable-lens (ILC) lineup for the rest of the year, and has been dribbling out the specs and cameras. The latest info to come out is for the E-PL3, the line's midrange model, which is designed to be more compact than the higher-end E-P3 but with a similar feature set and performance. Here are the complete specs, along with those of some direct competitors:
Olympus E-PL2 | Olympus E-PL3 | Olympus E-P3 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 | Sony Alpha NEX-C3 | Sony Alpha NEX-5 | |
Sensor (effective resolution) | 12.3-megapixel Live MOS | 12.3-megapixel Live MOS | 12.3-megapixel Live MOS | 12.1-megapixel Live MOS | 16.2-megapixel Exmor HD CMOS | 14.2-megapixel Exmor CMOS |
17.3mm x 13mm | 17.3mm x 13mm | 17.3mm x 13mm | 17.3mm x 13mm | 23.5mm x 15.6mm | 23.4mm x 15.6mm | |
Focal-length multiplier | 2.0x | 2.0x | 2.0x | 2.0x | 1.5x | 1.5x |
Sensitivity range | ISO 200 - ISO 6,400 | ISO 200 - ISO 12,800 | ISO 200 - ISO 12,800 | ISO 100 - ISO 6,400 | ISO 200 - ISO 12,800 | ISO 200 - ISO 12,800 |
Continuous shooting | 3fps n/a | 4.1fps n/a (5.5fps without image stabilization) | 3fps unlimited (LN) JPEG/17 raw | 3.8fps unlimited JPEG/7 raw | 2.5fps 18 JPEG/ 6 raw (5.5fps with fixed exposure) | 2.3fps unlimited JPEG/8 raw (7fps with fixed exposure) |
Viewfinder magnification/ effective magnification | Optional | Optional | Optional | None | None | None |
Autofocus | 11-area contrast AF | 35-area contrast AF | 35-area contrast AF | 23-area contrast AF | 25-point contrast AF | 25-point contrast AF |
Shutter speed | 60-1/2,000 sec; bulb to 30 minutes | 60-1/4,000 sec; bulb to 30 minutes; 1/4,000 FP sync | 60-1/4,000 sec; bulb to 30 minutes; 1/4,000 FP sync | 60-1/4,000 sec; 1/160 sec x-sync | 30-1/4,000 sec.; bulb; 1/160 sec x- sync | 30-1/4,000 sec.; bulb; 1/160 sec x-sync |
Metering | 324 area | 324 area | 324 area | 144 zone | 49 zone | 40 segment |
Flash | Yes | Included optional | Yes | Yes | Included optional | Included optional |
Image stabilization | Sensor shift | Sensor shift | Sensor shift | Optical | Optical | Optical |
Video | 720p Motion JPEG AVI | 1080/60i AVCHD @ 20, 17Mbps; 720/60p @ 13Mbps | 1080/60i AVCHD @ 20, 17Mbps; 720/60p @ 13Mbps | 1080/60i/50i @ 17 Mbps 720/60p @17 Mbps AVCHD or Motion JPEG QuickTime MOV | 720/30p H.264 MPEG-4 | 1080/60i AVCHD |
Audio | Mono; mic input | Stereo; mic input | Stereo; mic input | Mono | Stereo; mic input | Stereo; mic input |
LCD size | 3-inch fixed 460,000 dots | 3-inch tilting 460,000 dots | 3-inch fixed OLED 614,000 dots | 3-inch fixed touch screen 460,000 dots | 3-inch tilting 921,600 dots | 3-inch tilting 921,600 dots |
Battery life (CIPA rating) | 280 shots | 300 shots | 330 shots | 320 shots | 400 shots | 330 shots |
Dimensions (inches, WHD) | 4.5 x 2.8 x 1.6 | 4.3 x 2.5 x 1.5 | 4.8 x 2.7 x 1.4 | 4.2 x 2.6 x 1.3 | 4.4 x 2.4 x 0.9 | 4.4 x 2.4 x 1.6 |
Body operating weight (ounces) | 12.7 | 11 (est) | 13.0 | 9.3 | 10.7 | 10.2 (without flash); 10.9 (with flash) |
Mfr. price | n/a | n/a | n/a | $499.95 (body only, est) | n/a | n/a |
$599.99 (with 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 msc lens) | $699.99 (with 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 msc lens) | $899.99 (with 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 msc II lens) | $599.95 (with 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 lens) | $649.99 (with 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 lens) | $699.99 (with 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 lens) | |
$799 (est, with 14-42mm and 40-150mm lenses) | $699.99 (est, with 17mm lens) | $899.99 (with 17mm f2.8 lens) | $699.95 (with 14mm f2.5 lens) | $599.99 (with 16mm f2.8 lens) | $649.99 (with 16mm f2.8 lens) | |
Ship date | January 2011 | September 2011 | August 2011 | July 2011 | August 2011 | July 2010 |
The biggest (and thus far only) disappointment here is the price. Not just because $700 is high, but because it's even more expensive than its direct competitors, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 and the Sony Alpha NEX-C3. The PL3 does offer higher bit rate video than the GF3 (and hopefully Olympus will have fixed the serious rolling shutter issues I encountered with the E-P3), but that seems to be the PL3's only initial advantage over it.
As I pointed out originally, Olympus jettisoned the flash--the E-PL series' flash was a response to the lack of one on the original E-P1--following Sony's lead and including an add-on flash in the box. I don't really mind that approach. It will have a smaller set of art filters than the E-P3. Despite the updated AF system, Olympus says the E-PL3 will have a slightly slower response time, likely because of less processing power. It will come in red, black, chrome, and white.