Olympus unveils PEN E-P3, E-PL3 and E-PM1
Three new Micro Four Thirds cameras incoming from Olympus
Olympus has just announced three new Micro Four Thirds cameras, the PEN E-P3, PEN Lite E-PL3 and PEN Mini E-PM1.
The already leaked Olympus PEN E-P3 is the flagship model, with the retro looks of its E-P1 forebear. Olympus claims it has the fastest autofocus of any interchangeable-lens compact, and it features a new OLED touchscreen and 12.3-megapixel sensor. The PEN E-P3 kit with 14-42mm lens goes on sale in August for £800 and comes in black, white or silver.
The Olympus PEN Lite E-PL3 has simpler controls but features the same fast autofocus, adds a 3-inch tiltable LCD and comes in black, white, silver or red.
Completing the trio, the Olympus PEN Mini E-PM1 is, as the name suggests, the baby of the range. Despite the size, it has the same 12.3-megapixel sensor and super-fast autofocus, but has a non-tiltable 3-inch LCD and comes in six colours – black, brown, pink, purple, silver or white. We don’t have official dimensions, but judging from the fact that Olympus isn’t claiming “world’s smallest”, it’s almost certainly not as tiny as the forthcoming Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3.
Pricing for the E-PL3 and E-PM1 are unconfirmed and the on-sale dates are as vague as “autumn 2011”.
As well as the new cameras, Olympus announced two new M.Zuiko Digital Micro Four Thirds lenses – a 12mm (24mm equivalent) f2 wideangle, and a 45mm (90mm equivalent) f1.8 portrait lens.
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
