Olympus E-P3 Initial Review

Last post I discussed my purchase of the Olympus Pen E-P3 - ostensibly so I could use the 40-150mm f4/5.6 telephoto that came with it on my E-M1.

But I was also interested to see what the E-P3 would be like as a 'travel' camera. Something small and light, to use when I don't want/need to be carrying my E-M1 around with me. I was also keen to see how the Pen series had progressed - since I had owned the original E-P1, but had sold it for a number of reasons. Primarily because I had found it a bit sluggish and slow (and also a bit too 'fiddly' to use as my main camera).

Well, the E-P3 arrived this week (as I write this), and the weekend weather was looking good. I spent a night going over the camera functions and setting it up for my shooting style (enabling the Super Control Panel etc) and was ready to go on Saturday.

Brunner Bridge. E-P3 with 14-42mm II R. f5 @ 1/100th

I decided to chance my luck again and go back to the place I had tried to go for my first outing with the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro - The Brunner Mine Site. Last time I had to turn back due to intense early morning fog. This time I decided to learn from my previous visit, and go in the afternoon rather than the morning. This worked - kind of. There was definitely no fog, but there was no sun either! The valley was in complete shade, which was going to make for dull, dull photos. Aaarrgghhh!!!!

I was determined, however, to stay for an hour and take some photos. So I had to think 'outside' the box. Colour photos weren't going to look very interesting in flat, dull light - but what about black and white? And if black and white, then what about using the Grainy B&W Art Filter?

Fortunately this just happens to be my favorite of all the Art Filters built into the camera, and it's the one I had already 'pre-programmed' into the E-P3. So a quick rotation of the program wheel on top of the camera to the 'Art' mode, and bingo - Grainy B&W (Mode II) with the filmy-boarder look was set!

Historically I'm not one for using the Art Filters - in fact I don't even know why they are on the E-M1 and I may have even turned them all off. But, on the E-P3 I think they make a lot more sense. I guess I see the E-P3 as being more of a 'fun' point-and-shoot, where using pre-programmed Art Filters in Jpeg mode suits the style of the camera? And I have to say, seeing the grainy black and white image moving around on the rear lcd screen as I composed with the camera at arms length was a heck of a lot of fun. So different to my normal shooting style.

Brunner Mine Site. Olympus Pen E-P3 with 9mm Fisheye Bodycap lens. f8 @ 1/15th sec, ISO 200. 9mm

Things got a whole lot more 'funner' (is that a word?) when I place the 9mm Fisheye Bodycap lens on the E-P3 body. Gimmick lens, meet gimmick art filter. Now go and make some magic! I wrote about the 9mm Fisheye Bodycap lens in a previous blog here, and suggested that it was a fairly decent performer that shouldn't necessarily be written off as a gimmick. Still, I don't use it an awful lot, and with a fixed f8 aperture it is a fairly limited optic (no astro photography for this baby). But when you need to fit a lot into the scene like I did above, and when the use of an Art Filter means that absolute tack-sharp might not be so important, then the Fisheye Bodycap lens comes into its element.

Coke Bins, Brunner Mine. Olympus Pen E-P3, Grainy B&W II Filter, 9mm Bodycap lens. f8 @ 1/15th sec, ISO 200

With the Bodycap lens attached to the E-P3 it also makes for a small, low-profile, practically pocketable combination. Not that I would suggest using the Fisheye as the E-P3's constant and only lens choice. I'm actually considering re-visiting the Olympus 17mm f2.8 pancake lens as a companion for the Pen. Not that the 14-42mm f4/5.6 is a terrible lens - it isn't at all. But I just think that a pancake prime makes a lot of sense on such a small, compact body. And yes, the Pen E-P3 is a very small, very compact body.

Silver Fern, E-P3 with 12-42mm. F5.4 @ 1/60th, ISO 1600

Is it too small? I'm going to go out on a limb and say yes, it is. And I know that it's very much a subjective decision. The E-P3 is not the smallest Pen - the EPL series are smaller still. And some don't even have a grip attachment (the E-P3 does).

But for me, the Pen series are just a little on the 'too small' side of the scale. I'm not a fan of lcd-only viewing (I much prefer a built-in evf), since this encourages the hold-camera-out-in-front-with-both-arms style of shooting that is the least stable way to take photos imaginable! It's just as well Olympus cameras have incredible ibis (in-built image stabilisation).

The buttons on the back are also on the small side, and are a bit too close together - although the top plate has reasonable separation. I understand why this is - but again, it just hearkens back to the whole camera being just a bit too small. And I don't have large hands.

Fortunately, the touch-screen lcd screen helps to mitigate some of the small-button problems, and using the brilliant SCP (Super Control Panel) means that you won't have to access the menu structure too often. Not that I think there's a problem with the menu structure. Olympus have long been lambasted for their camera's menu's, but I actually find them very easy to navigate and quite logical. I don't use the touch screen for actually taking the photo (although you can), as I think this is even less stable of a shooting platform since you are now probably shooting one-handed. But what I do use the touch screen for is touch-to-focus. I can then steady the camera again with both hands while taking the photo with the traditional shutter button on the top of the camera.

Wheel stone. E-P3 with 9mm Bodycap Fisheye.
f8 @ 1/20th sec. ISO 200

Remember how I said at the beginning that I originally owned an E-P1 but sold it soon after for a number of reasons? Well, one of those reasons - perhaps the main reason - was that I found it too small. In the same way as I find the E-P3 too small.

I also thought the E-P1 was sluggish to autofocus, and a little too slow overall. Not so the E-P3. At its launch, Olympus claimed it used the fastest auto focus system in-the-world, of any system! Mmmm. Methinks the marketing team doth protest too much! But yes, it is quick. A lot quicker than the E-P1. In good light. With a strongly contrasted scene (it uses contrast detect auto focus). Within these parameters, it's nigh on instantaneous. Which is a marked improvement on the previous Pens. So kudos to Olympus there.

As stated earlier, I prefer to use a built-in EVF - which the Pen's lack, and have never been a big fan of using the rear lcd screen to compose the image. The SD card slots into the same chamber as the battery at the base of the camera - again not something I'm a big fan of. And my preferred shooting mode - Aperture priority, requires a two-step process (push function button and then rotate sub dial) to add any exposure compensation. Again, just a bit fiddly for my liking.

Brunner Bridge 2. Pen E-P3 with 9mm Bodycap lens. f8 @ 1/50th sec. ISO 200 

So I'll probably get rid of the E-P3 just like I did the E-P1 - right? Well not so fast. Despite all I've said above, I actually really enjoyed using the E-P3 this weekend. It was just plain fun! Despite the many 'weaknesses' I find inherent in the Pen system.

I do think it's too small - to use as my main camera. Which was what I was trying to do with the E-P1. It was the only camera I owned at the time, and as my only camera, it fell short of what I wanted in a camera. I wanted something a bit bigger (but not 1D bigger), I wanted something with an in-built evf, I wanted something that felt snappier to use, and I wanted something that felt at least somewhat SLRish. Enter the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mk2 - and then the E-M1. As my main camera, they suit my shooting style and needs so much more than the Pen's do.

But... as a second, smaller, lighter, more compact travel camera - the Olympus Pen E-P3 is pretty hard to beat. The Panasonic Lumix GF and GX bodies come the closest. Which are, of course, also micro four thirds cameras.

With the Olympus E-M1 and the Pen E-P3, I have a comprehensive system. The E-M1 is my main man. My tackle anything, conquer all, 'serious' kit for anything I want to throw at it. Whereas the Pen E-P3 is my 'have fun', go light, point-and-shoot, travel recorder. A have-prime-will-travel type of kit that I'm really looking forward to taking away on holidays with me. I think it's going to record some very special family moments. And that alone makes the E-P3 worth keeping.

Anyone got a spare Pen? The Olympus E-P3.

My recent purchase of the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens for my E-M1 signals (to me at least), my commitment to the Olympus micro four thirds system. Especially when you consider that I sold every lens I had (plus some other camera gear) just to get it.

Fortunately I got an amazing deal on the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro (see last post), which means that there's some money left in the kitty. With the range of the 12-40mm, I've got 'most' bases covered. But, just occasionally, I like to have a little more telephoto reach. Not often, but every once in a while. I do like to have a telephoto zoom on-hand for just such occasions, but it also tends to be the lens that I  spend the least on. I've owned cheap Sigma's, Tamron's and manufacturer's versions in the 70 to 300mm f4/5.6 range and they've all been reasonable performers.

I've also owned Olympus's own version of this lens - the 40-150mm f4/5.6. It's a cheap, no frills (plastic mount) lens sold as a 'kit' with most of their consumer focused cameras like the Pens, and the OM-D E-M10. I owned mine when I had the E-M5 Mk2 and it was a surprisingly good lens. I did a review of the lens here and praised its sharpness up against 'L' series Canon glass!

So I decided to get another one to compliment my 12-40mm, and give me a 12 to 150mm (24 to 300mm) reach with the two lenses. No, the plastic bodied 40-150mm f4/5.6 isn't in the same league as the f2.8 Pro lens, but for the amount I'll end up using it, a couple of hundred dollars is really all I'm willing (or can afford) to spend on a telephoto lens. And as I've said almost ad-nauseam, it really is a very good performer.

Looking on Trademe (New Zealand's version of eBay), there were a couple for sale in the $200NZ range. But I thought I could do better than that. A trick many on-line auction buyers use when they want to but a lens, is to look for a cheap camera that might have a couple of lenses bundled with it. So instead of just searching for lenses, I started looking at the digital camera auctions. And bingo - there it was!

Someone was selling an Olympus Pen E-P3, with the 14-42mm and 45-150mm kit lenses, spare batteries, charger, SD card and camera bag - all must go - for $375NZ. I was already considering buying just the 40-150mm lens for $200NZ, so for another $175NZ I was getting a digital camera and extra lens!

A few quick questions to the seller confirmed that it was all in mint condition - hardly ever used (only 6000 shutter actuations), and I snapped it up using 'Buy Now'.

So now I'm not only getting the 40-150mm f4/5.6 lens that I wanted for the E-M1, but also an Olympus Pen E-P3 and a standard lens to keep on it as a perfect little walk-around everyday travel camera. I'm sure it will become our new family camera, and my wife will really enjoy using it (she currently takes a little Lumix point-and-shoot with her when she travels).

Olympus E-P3, front and rear views

I'm also looking forward to having a play with the E-P3. I owned one of the first Pens, the E-P1, but I didn't really enjoy the experience. It was too sluggish and slow for my liking, and I quickly sold it on and went back to a much more responsive DSLR. That was, however, over 10 years ago - and I haven't touched an Olympus Pen since.

I have kept up with their progress somewhat though, and it seems that Olympus got the Pen series 'right' with the E-P3. They worked very hard with the auto focus speed and accuracy on the Pen series, and by the E-P3 they were claiming it had the 'World's fastest AF System' of ANY camera system! I'm sure there would be some Canon and Nikon Pros who would laugh at this claim - and the autofocus tracking on micro four thirds still lags behind the top gear from the big two - but in day to day single point focus use, the E-P3 does look blazingly fast - and one heck of a lot faster than the E-P1 was!

It's also the first Pen to include a pop-up flash, and includes a removable grip for better ergonomics and handling. So basically, it fixes all of the things I disliked about the original E-P1.

What I did like about the original Pen, and all the Pens that have come after it, was the look of the camera. Damn it's a sexy camera! Especially in all-black. I know that some of the even smaller, paired-down Pens have been marketed squarely at women looking for a small, light, fashion-statement camera that they can slip into a large purse or small handbag. But the E-P line of top-tier Pens (E-P1, E-P2, E-P3 etc) have always been feature-rich, slightly bulkier, and designed specifically for the advanced photographer in mind. And once again - boy are they sexy!

So yes, I'm looking forward to my 'new' Pen E-P3 arriving soon. I think it will be an excellent addition to my micro-four-thirds system, and compliment the E-M1 perfectly. And if it doesn't? Well, there's always Trademe 😉

The Olympus 12-40mm f2.8 Pro - my precious!

It's arrived - it's arrived - my precious - my precious (typing in my best Golem voice).

Just a couple of weeks after committing to sell all of my micro four thirds lenses to purchase the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro - it's in my hot little hands! I'm so excited (can you tell?) and thrilled that it's worked out even better than I imagined. How so?

I'm not going to lie - I wavered in the middle of the process for a few days. Since I already had the Panasonic 25mm f1.7, I briefly considered going to a three prime lens kit - getting the 17mm f1.8 and the 45mm f1.8 to go with it. There was even a couple of reasonably priced 17mm f1.8's come up for auction on-line, so I was sorely tempted.

But I watched a few more glowing video reviews on Youtube for the 12-40mm f2.8, took a few deep breaths, and stuck to my original plan. And then, what sold it in the end, was the amazing deal I eventually got for the 12-40mm f2.8 Pro!

With three of my lenses already sold, I still didn't have quite enough to by the lens new (from Hong Kong via a Trademe - a NZ internet auction site). There weren't any coming up second-hand for auction, so I decided to use social media to see what I could find. I belong to a couple of New Zealand Photography Buy, Sell & Trade Facebook groups. I placed a WTB (wanted to buy) advert without really expecting anything much, but the next day I received a reply.

Cobden Beach Tiphead. OM-D E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro lens. 1/800th @ f5.6, ISO 200

A photographer in Invercargill (lower South Island) had one that he didn't use very often (he's more of a macro shooter), and was considering selling it. Excellent condition, hardly use, etc, etc. Long story short, we struck a deal and he sold it to me that evening! I had just enough money from the sale of my lenses thus far, and so ended up saving about a third of what it would have cost me for a brand new one! Ironically, I later found out that with the money I paid him for his lens, he purchased one of the 17mm f1.8 lenses I had been considering on Trademe.

Coal River Heritage Park. E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro. 1/640th @ f3.5, ISO 200

The 12-40mm arrived two days later and I finally had my first Pro f2.8 lens for my Olympus micro four thirds system. As described, the lens is in immaculate condition, and is indeed a perfect match for the E-M1, especially with the grip attached. It looks beautiful, feels solid, and oozes quality. I couldn't be happier.

Greymouth Crane. E-M1 with 12-40mm Pro f2.8. 1/800th @ f4.5, ISO 200

But it gets even better.... 😀  As well as sending me the lens, I also received a book dedicated to using the OM-D E-M1 and a variable ND filter and a polarizing filter! All for free! That's probably $200NZ worth of free stuff, and I'm very grateful to the seller for his amazing generosity. It's great to know that there are still some generous-hearted people in the world, especially when you are the recipient of that generosity. I'm especially looking forward to giving the variable ND a try - I've never used one before, but always been curious to try them out. And now I can. Thanks Paul!

Drill Sculpture. E-M1 with M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro. 1/640th @ f4.5. ISO 200

All the photos in this post (except for the product photo) where taken on my first outing with the E-M1 and 12-40mm f2.8 Pro combination. It was unfortunately a disappointingly drab morning, and the location I had originally intended to photograph was covered in so much thick fog that I had to turn back. So instead I wandered around in the freezing cold and took a few 'snaps'. Not my best work, and all pretty dull, but at least I got out and started building up some muscle-memory with the gear.

Of course the lens performed as expected. The zoom ring is smooth, but with a certain amount of 'resistance'. This means there's no hint of zoom-creep, with no wobbles or looseness on the lens. Even the hood and cap feel reassuringly solid. The range is just about perfect, with 12mm about as wide as I like to shoot landscapes (24mm field of view in 35mm terms), and 40 (80mm on a full-frame DLSR) hitting the sweet spot for portraiture. I don't do a lot of portraiture now that I don't shoot weddings, although that might all be about to change with the birth of my first grandchild early next year (2019)!

Now that the 12-40mm is literally my only lens (I've finally sold all the others), I've decided I would like some sort of telephoto - just for the times when one might come in handy. The 40-150mm is the obvious choice - and no, not the f2.8 version (although there's no denying that would be sweet). An Olympus 40-150mm f4/5.6 is on its way to me as I write this. But that's not all - it comes with some other goodies. More on that next time....