| Model: | Olympus Pen E-PL3 |
| Kind: | Micro Four Thirds, interchangeable lens camera |
| Sensor: | Four Thirds System 17.30 × 13.00 mm Live MOS |
| Res: | 4032×3024 (12.3 megapixels) |
| Lens: | Micro Four Thirds System mount |
| Shutter: | 1/4,000 to 60 s, up to 30 minutes bulb |
| Speedrange: | ISO 200–12800 |
| Flash: | No built-in flash, but has Clip-on flash included, TTL, GN 10m equivalent (ISO200 · m); hotshoe for external flash attachment |
| Metering: | Digital ESP metering, Centre weighted average metering, Spot metering |
| Emode: | Program, shutter-priority, aperture-priority, manual |
| Mmode: | TTL ESP multi patterned (324-area multi pattern metering), Center-weighted average, Spot (1%) |
| Farea: | 35 area contrast detect auto-focus, selectable |
| Fmode: | Single, continuous, manual |
| Cont: | 4.1 frames/s (5.5 frames/s in case of "I.S. OFF" |
| Viewfinder: | live preview, optional electronic viewfinder VF-2; optional electronic viewfinder VF-3; optional optical viewfinder VF-1 |
| Rearlcd: | 3" 460,000 pixel TFT LCD on screen with live preview |
| Storage: | Secure Digital card
|
| Battery: | Olympus BLS-5 Lithium-ion battery |
| Weight: | 265g (body only) 313g (body, battery and SD memory card) |
| Dimensions: | 109.5 × 63.7 × 37.3 mm (4.31" × 2.51" × 1.47") |
The Olympus PEN E-PL3 announced on 30 June 2011[1] is Olympus Corporation's seventh camera that adheres to the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system design standard. The E-PL3 succeeds the Olympus PEN E-PL2, and was announced in concert with two other models, the Olympus PEN E-P3 (the flagship version), and the Olympus PEN E-PM1 (a new "Mini" version of the PEN camera line with similar features to the E-PL3). The E-PL3 is commonly said to be the "Lite" (less full featured) version of the E-P3, much as the E-PL1 and E-PL2 were "Lite" versions of the E-P1 and E-P2, respectively.
The E-PL3 addresses some of the concerns that critics had about previous PEN models: slow handling, due to slow autofocus speed and difficulty seeing the LCD panel under certain (e.g., bright, sunny) conditions.
The E-PL3 increases autofocus speed through use of a 120 Hz refresh rate for its sensor, similar to the technology used in the recently released Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 and G3 cameras. Olympus claims, based on in-house testing, that the E-PL3, along with its E-PM1 cousin, have similar characteristics to the flagship E-P3, which according to Olympus has the world's fastest autofocus speed of any camera as of the product announcement date.[2] The benefits of the 120 Hz refresh rate also provides the ability for continuous autofocus tracking during bursts of exposures, a faster shutter response (less lag) and less blackout time between exposures.
The E-PL3 lacks the E-P3 capacitive touchscreen for creative camera control, and the E-P3 OLED type display that is supposed to vastly improve performance in sunny conditions, and off-angle viewing. Instead, the E-PL3 has a tiltable LCD, which allows easy above the head, waist level, or low off the ground viewing. The E-PL3 continues with the proprietary Accessory Port, a power and communication port, which allows the use of various accessories, such as an external stereo microphone for HD video recording, LED macro lights, and a bluetooth communications adapter. The accessory port continues to be compatible with the high resolution, optional hotshoe mounted VF-2 electronic viewfinder (EVF).
The VF-2 had a flip angle eyepiece, allowing viewing from 0–90 degrees. The VF-2 had been criticized for being very expensive and for not having a locking device, with some users reporting easy dislodgement of the VF-2 from the hotshoe. To address these criticisms, in July 2011, Olympus announced the introduction of an optional VF-3 EVF, which has a lower resolution and a locking device.
| Item | Model | Sensor | Electronic View Finder (EVF) | Announced | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.1 mp effective) | EVF; 1.4x magnification; 1.44M dots | 2008, October[4] | ||
| 2 | 4:3; 3:2; 16:9 (multi-aspect); 14.0 mp (12.1 mp effect) | EVF; 1.4x mag; 1.44M dots | 2009, April[5] | ||
| 3 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | 2009, July[6] | |||
| 4 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.1 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF LVF1; 1.04x mag; 202K dots | 2009, September[7] | ||
| 5 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44M dots | 2009, November[8] | ||
| 6 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44M dots | 2010, February[9] | ||
| 7 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.1 mp effect) | EVF; 1.04x magnification; 202K dots | 2010, March[10] | ||
| 8 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.1 mp effect) | EVF; 1.4x mag; 1.44M dots | 2010, March[11] | ||
| 9 | 4:3; 3:2; 16:9 (multi-aspect); 18.3 mp (16.0 mp effect) | EVF; 1.42x mag; 1.53M dots | 2010, September[12] | ||
| 10 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.1 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF; 1.04x mag; 202K dots | 2010, November[13] | ||
| 11 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44M dots | 2010, November[14] | ||
| 12 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44M dots | 2011, January[15] | ||
| 13 | 4:3 / 16.6 mp (15.8 mp effect) | EVF; 1.4x mag; 1.44M dots | 2011, May[16] | ||
| 14 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.1 mp effect) | N/A | 2011, June[17] | ||
| 15 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44M dots | 2011, June[18] | ||
| 16 | Olympus PEN E-PL3 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44M dots | 2011, June[19] | |
| 17 | 4:3 / 13.1 mp (12.3 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF VF-2; 1.15x mag; 1.44M dots | 2011, June[20] | ||
| 18 | 4:3 / 16.6 mp (16.0 mp effect) | opt hotshoe EVF LVF2; 1.4x mag; 1.44M dots | 2011, November[21] | ||
| 19 | 4:3 / 16.9 mp (16.1 mp effect)[22] | EVF; 1.15x mag; 1.44M dots | 2012, February[23] |