Olympus’s mighty PEN

Packed in a tiny body is the PEN E-P7 – a nicely priced, creative picture-taking machine just waiting to be unleashed.

The stylish and compact Olympus PEN E-P7 is a Micro Four Thirds camera with a long list of user-friendly features, weighing in at just 430g when partnered with the M.Zuiko ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ lens.

There’s an in-body, five-axis image stabilisation, giving 4.5EV of benefit – and its sensor is a 20-megapixel Live MOS unit that works with the TruePic VIII image processor. The autofocus system benefits from a face/eye priority AF algorithm seen on pro OM-D cameras, so you get sharp shots, even with subjects moving around the frame.

A dedicated profile control dial on the front of the body lets you instantly switch between standard photo modes to monochrome, and other filter effects when you want to get creative. Olympus art filters are also available at the touch of a button, and these can be fine-tuned with an up/down slider on the monitor.

The autofocus system benefits from a face/eye priority AF algorithm seen on pro OM-D cameras, so you get sharp shots, even with subjects moving around the frame

If you want to push the creative boundaries, multi exposures and long exposures with Live Composite mode are also on hand. Add a tilting screen, 4K video, USB charging, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and you have a very talented camera.

The PEN E-P7 is available from mid-June in two colours: white and silver, or black and silver. The body is priced at £749, or at £849 with the M Zuiko ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ.

In other news, Olympus has added the M.Zuiko 8-25mm f/4 Pro to its lens system. Equivalent to a 16-50mm in the 35mm format, this new lens covers a useful focal length range, especially for wide-angle shooters. Minimum focus is 23cm and the lens supports focus stacking.

Optical construction features 16 elements in 10 groups, and includes several special glass elements to suppress aberrations and maximise fine detail resolution across the image frame. Olympus’s Zero coating gives high definition, even when shooting on to the light.

Reliable performance is ensured by its dust-, splash- and freeze-proof construction, weighing just 411g.

This lens is available from July, at a guide price of £899.

olympus.co.uk