Your digital photographs capture individual moments in time; so if you’re a beginner or a compact user ready to upgrade, then you want a camera that is small, simple to use, very responsive and has enough features and functions to enjoy the photography experience. That camera may be the Olympus PEN Mini/E-PM1.

1.   This Olympus compact is a member of the company’s interchangeable lens system, but it is truly a miniature, compared to its big brothers or other manufacturers’ Micro Four Thirds cameras. Even with a prime or collapsible kit zoom lens attached, it is almost small enough to fit your pocket. Its dimensions are just 4.3” (109.5mm) wide, 2.5” (63.7mm) tall and 1.3” (34mm) deep. With batteries and memory card loaded, it weighs just 9.3 oz. (265g).

2.   As digital photography technology continues to advance, however, size is becoming less of a measure of a camera’s capabilities. The Olympus PEN Mini/E-PM1 definitely represents this concept. It’s like shooting with a miniaturized DSLR camera, but without all that size and weight to carry and paying big dollars for features that beginners or aspiring amateurs don’t need or can’t appreciate. Beginners can do all the “point and shooting” they want with the E-PM1, while those upgrading from a standard point-and-shoot will be happy they can advance their skills with this mighty, little shooter.

3.   Olympus has given the E-PM1 a reworked 12-MP Live MOS sensor and a Dual-core TruePic VI processor. Third-party tests scored the sensor as producing “very good” resolution. Processed Raw images were particularly notable in terms of their fine resolution and the image processor eliminated any moiré patterns quite successfully.

4.   The Olympus PEN Mini/E-PM1 has a rather standard 460,000-dot LCD screen, but some functionality must be compromised to create a camera that fulfills dual roles for different audiences. With the 16:9 aspect ratio laid over the default 4:3 ratio, black areas occupy both sides of the screen. Serious amateurs or pros wouldn’t necessarily like this arrangement, but for those most likely to buy this camera, it is a benefit. Olympus has programmed the E-PM1 to show camera settings in these black areas whenever in live view. If the image filled the entire LCD screen, then beginners would have to deal with a more confusing view, since the settings would be superimposed over the image.

5.   Always keeping in mind the size of this camera, its auto-focus system, at 120 Hz, proves to be plenty fast and pleasingly accurate. The quality of this feature compares very favorable with other Micro Four Thirds cameras, even some that cost more. With its built-in auto-focus illuminator light, the E-PM1 takes a giant leap forward in its capability to focus in low light.

6.   This mini compact (with interchangeable lenses, don’t forget) provides an ISO sensitivity range of 200–1,600 as a default setting, customizable to 12,800. The Panasonic-built 12-MP Live MOS sensor in the E-PM1 has the precision to generate good low-ISO images to the high-end default of 1,600. Again, this serves both audiences for this camera: a 200–1,600 ISO range is more than enough for true beginners and allows advancing beginners to experiment and learn how to shoot acceptable, interesting images in low light.

7.   Another clue that Olympus designed the PEN Mini/E-PM1 for the consumers it has targeted is the camera’s video capabilities. Now, the use of a 16:9 aspect ratio makes sense because in the video mode the entire screen is utilized to show the image. The camera’s video specs are comparably with any of its competitors: 1080i/60 Full-HD movies, AVCHD or Motion JPEG recording as well as in PASM mode and during activation of any of the six art filters. 

8.   There are many other might moments to experience with the Olympus PEN Mini/E-PM1, such as its in-body image stabilization system, in-camera raw editing, many camera and menu customizations and its six art filters.

9.   The Olympus PEN Mini/E-PM1, with an M. Zuiko MSC Digital ED m14–42mm II lens, is available from B&H Photo Video for just $448.99, at http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=olympus+pen+mini+e-pm1&N=0&InitialSearch=yes.

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