OLYMPUS DRESSED UP TO THE NINES
LOVERS OF OLYMPUS’S PEN series of mirrorless cameras – which started the whole mirrorless thing, of course – will be pleased to know there’s a new E-PL model.
The PEN E-PL9 is available in a choice of four colour schemes (black, white, brown and blue) and while it shares the same 17.2 megapixels M43 sensor as the E-PL8, it has Olympus’s latest ‘TruePic VIII’ processor which allows for continu- ous shooting at up to 8.6 fps and also 4K video recording. Also new is Bluetooth connectivity to supplement the built-in WiFi and the latest Olympus Image Share (O.I. Share) app includes tutorial videos to assist first-time users.
As before, Olympus is targeting this camera at smartphone users who want to move up to a real camera, so the monitor screen tilts through 180 degrees and switches to a mirror display to allow for selfies. Touchscreen controls include autofocusing points selection and shutter release. There’s also a built-in flash to further enhance the E-PL9’s overall convenience and the ergonomic revisions include a larger, reshaped handgrip and a bigger main mode dial. A new addition to the ‘Art Filter’ special effects – which now number 16 – is called Instant Film and, as you might guess, is designed to replicate the look of a classic Polaroid print.
Other notable features include three-axis, sensor-based image stabilisation, a multiple exposure facility, multi-shot HDR capture, in-camera panorama stitching and focus bracketing. The contrast-detection autofocusing system now has 121 measuring points to give nearly full-frame coverage, while exposure control is based on the 324-segment ‘Digital ESP’ metering used in the previous models. The shutter speed range is 60-1/4000 second with a sensor-based shutter enabling a faster top speed of 1/16,000 second.
The Olympus PEN E-PL9 is priced at $1099 packaged with the compact M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 EZ power zoom. All black, white and brown colour versions are available now, the blue camera comes in June. For more information visit www.olympus.com.au