Caveat: I am not a tech freak, so don’t expect bench tested minutia in this report. However, as a photographer, I recognize a cool camera with potential when I see one. Herewith some thoughts on the new Olympus Pen E-P1:

Take your choice of key events in 1959: Cuban Revolution, Chinese takeover of Tibet, launch of Olympus’s ground-breaking Pen camera. Some anniversaries are celebrated better than others. Fifty years after the launch of the Olympus Pen camera, a very nicely designed, half-frame rangefinder camera, Olympus has decided to celebrate its innovative heritage by introducing a remarkable camera, the Olympus Pen E-P1. This camera mimics much of the appearance of its predecessor, but with its Micro Four-Thirds chip, its 12.3 Megapixel Live MOS sensor, 7.6cm/3.0 inch HyperCrystal LCD live view screen, and interchangeable lenses, the E-P1 represents a new niche in pro-sumer cameras.

Olympus is, of course, known for innovation and supremely practical and successful consumer cameras, but with the E-P1, they are reaching for something different. This new camera is truly sui generis. It has all the bells and whistles of a state-of-the-art point-and-shoot. There are god only knows how many scene modes, beauty sharpeners, face recognition programs, and doubtless more to come as software upgrades. Olympus claims 20 shooting modes (5 exposure modes, i-Auto mode, 14 scene modes and various “art filters” including Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film, and Pin Hole effects), but that is just the start. It shoots up to five minutes of HD movies in a single take in 4:3 and 16:9 formats. Like the “new” Beetle and the Mini, it boasts serious retro chic. To Bowdlerize The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, Olympus is saying, “Let’s party like it’s 1959”. Obviously taking its design cues from its predecessor, the camera, with its intuitive menu and well thought out program wheels, is, as Olympus’s star designer, Yoshihisa Maitani, declared back then, as light and easy to carry and use as a pen.

Of course, the Pen series and its contemporaries from Canon and Nikon, among others, were derivatives of the Leica series of rangefinders. It is thus noteworthy that Olympus shares the Micro Four Thirds standard with Panasonic’s Lumix G1 and GH1 series cameras [See previous issue for review of the Lumix GH1]. Panasonic are in bed with Leica and use Leica glass on the front end of their cameras. Both Panasonic and Olympus have accessory adaptor rings that also accept a variety of lenses including those made by Olympus, Sigma, Panasonic, and Leica, as well as accepting third party adaptor rings that will greatly enhance the versitility of these cameras.

The basic camera is available with two lenses, a M. Zuiko Digital 17mm  f/2.8 Pancake lens, representing a 34mm lens in traditional 35mm format, and a M. Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom, representing a 28-84mm zoom. The camera’s 17mm lens comes with a distinctly Leica-like optical viewfinder that mounts onto the hot shoe. Interestingly, no flash is built into the E-P1, but the sleekly styled FL-14 kicks out plenty of light and adds almost no weight at all. The body itself measures 120.5 mm x 70mm x 35mm, weighs only 335 grams, and is available in a modest variety of colour schemes involving silver, black, white, and khaki. With the 17mm Pancake lens attached, the E-P1 slips easily into a pocket.

Olympus is targeting an interesting marketing niche with the E-P1. It represents a clear step up from basic consumer point and shoots and seems aimed at those who want the features of a fully fledged SLR, interchangable lenses, HD video, etc., but without the hassle of having to deal with the bulk and complexity. It is also aimed at professional photographers with an investment in lenses who might want to use E-P1 as a second camera because it combines light weight while delivering more than adequate performance. Naturally, for the style conscious among us, the E-P1 is an eye catcher of the first order and as much a fashion accessory as those little silvery Nikons and Canons of ten years ago that stood out so nicely against bronzed flesh and little black dresses as they were indeed designed to do.

My only real quibble with the E-P1 is that unlike the Canon G10—that other perfect second camera—it does not have a built-in viewfinder. It will be interesting to see how this camera develops in the course of its design life. One can imagine Olympus tweaking the design here and there, perhaps adding a built-in flash. Surely, there will be software upgrades that will add yet more features that will appeal to more people. It also remains to be seen whether the Micro Four Thirds standard, now only championed by Olympus and Panasonic, will take off or instead lead to an evolutionary dead-end.

Priced at £699 with a new 14-42mm f/3.5 lens or £749 with the 17mm f/2.8 pancake lens, plus an external viewfinder, the Olympus Pen E-P1 is not the cheapest camera out there, but it punches well above its weight proving yet again that the Pen is mightier than the sword. For additional details, see Olympus-europa.com/pen.