Olympus PEN E-P7 _ The rebirth of a classic photography brand
£749/€799 (body only) The first camera to come from Olympus’ new owner www. olympus. co. uk
The Olympus PEN E-P7 is a surprising camera. While the world was waiting to see what OM Digital Solutions, new steward of the Olympus brand, would do with its first-ever product, nobody predicted that it would resurrect the E-P series of PEN cameras. In doing so, however, it has not only breathed new life into the pedestrian PEN line, it has also shown that it isn’t afraid to shake things up.
There hasn’t been an entry in this series since 2013’s Olympus PEN E-P5, a cult classic among Micro Four Thirds users. The PEN E-P7 combines the finesse and form factor of its predecessor, a Profile Control switch inspired by the fan-favourite PEN-F, and the functionality of the new OM-D E-M10 Mark IV.
The result is the best non-OM-D Olympus camera we’ve seen since the PEN-F, as well as one of the best cameras around for travel and street photography, as well as vlogging.
Key features
While the PEN E-P series has been dormant since 2013, the PEN E-PL (“PEN Lite”) line has undergone a disappointing rinse-and-refresh for the past few years. Indeed, the PEN E-PL10 and E-PL9 were both lumbered with an outdated 16MP image sensor and three-axis in-body image stabilisation that were holdovers from the original, seven-year-old OM-D E-M10.
By contrast, the E-P7 takes its technological cues from the latest E-M10 Mark IV. It packs the same 20.3MP sensor with improved AF performance (though it is still contrast-detect), the same five-axis IBIS that’s good for 4.5 stops of stabilisation, and the same 4K 30p video – which benefits from the silky smooth IBIS in a way that larger APS-C and full-frame sensors can only dream of.
It takes cues from the venerable PEN-F, too, namely in the form of the Profile Control switch. Like the Creative Dial on the PEN-F, this
enables you to summon a host of bespoke mono and colour profiles – including the much-loved Mono 2, which is unofficially a Tri-X film simulation, along with other profiles that give a similar feel to classic film stocks like Ektachrome and Portra.
Also returning is Advanced Photo mode, selectable from the mode dial, which helps beginners take more ambitious images. From long exposures and keystone compensation to HDR and focus bracketing, this puts powerful photography at the fingertips of even complete newcomers.
Build and handling
The E-P7 eschews the E-PL series’ more modern look and two-tone grip for a vintage-inspired design and textured leatherette finish. The traditional recessed ‘pinhole’ style power button of the E-PL cameras is also gone, replaced by a separate new power dial on the right-hand side.
In one respect, it’s great to have a proper power switch instead of a fiddly button; on the other, that means there are four dials crammed onto the top panel – and the power one is so close to the mode dial that switching between modes often leads to inadvertently knocking the power off.
Performance
Purely in terms of the images it produces, the E-P7 delivers results on par with the PEN-F or the E-M10 Mark IV. Photographs are rich, detailed and defined no matter what lenses you’re using. The body is obviously tailormade for the M.Zuiko 14-42mm EZ Pancake lens, and it squeezes every last ounce of resolution out of that overperforming slice of wonderglass.
The E-P7 features the same new autofocus system as the E-M10 Mark IV – it’s still a contrast-based AF system, but is night and day better than any of the preceding E-PL cameras. The improved AF is particularly noticeable when recording video: gone is the hunting and pulsing of Olympus’ older contrast AF system.
If you want to start shooting video, but don’t know your bitrate from your B-roll, the E-P7 is a fantastic point-andshoot 4K camera that delivers crisp footage with sublime stabilisation.
Our only real complaint with the E-P7 is the LCD screen, which displays certain hues – especially skintones – far too hot. James Artaius