Olympus PEN E-PL1 Review

Overall Score

58

Main Features

  • 12 MP Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • 100 - 3200 ISO
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 2" Fixed Screen
  • Electronic (optional) Viewfinder
  • 3 fps continuous shooting
  • 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • Built-In Wireless
  • 115 x 72 x 42 mm, 334g.
  • Price Category:
  • Replaced by: PEN E-PL1s

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Olympus PEN E-PL1 Overview


First introduced in May, 2010, Olympus PEN E-PL1 is a 12 MP Mirrorless with a Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sized CMOS sensor.

Olympus replaced PEN E-PL1 with Olympus E-PL1s. Follow the link to read our detailed comparison of these models:

Compare Olympus E-PL1 with Olympus E-PL1s


Olympus E-PL1 comes with a 17.3 x 13 mm CMOS sensor, which has a diagonal of 21.64 mm (0.84").

- Full Frame
- Olympus PEN E-PL1

Sensor resolution of Olympus E-PL1 ~ 3995 x 3003 pixels.

Olympus E-PL1 has Crop Factor: 2.0

The sensor has a surface area of 224.9 mm².

There are approximate 11,996,985 photosites (pixels) on this area.

Olympus E-PL1 Series History
Model Year $ Sensor ISO Weight Dimensions
Olympus PEN E-PL9 Olympus E-PL9 2018 16MP 200 - 6400 380g 117 x 68 x 39mm
Olympus PEN E-PL8 Olympus E-PL8 2016 16MP 200 - 25600 357g 115 x 67 x 38mm
Olympus PEN E-PL7 Olympus E-PL7 2014 16MP 100 - 25600 357g 115 x 67 x 38mm
Olympus PEN E-PL6 Olympus E-PL6 2014 16MP 100 - 25600 325g 111 x 64 x 38mm
Olympus PEN E-PL5 Olympus E-PL5 2012 16MP 200 - 25600 325g 111 x 64 x 38mm

Proc and Cons of Olympus E-PL1


Get to know this camera closer. Let's look at the features and characteristics of this model. Compare Olympus PEN E-PL1 with competitors in entry-level mirrorless cameras.

Pros
Built-in Wireless
External Flash
RAW Support
Manual Focus
334g Light Body
±3 AE Bracketing Range
Focus Bracketing
Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
AF Face Detection
3.0 fps Continuous Shooting
Manual Exposure Mode
11 Focus Points
Flash Sync Port
Cons
No Bluetooth
No Touch Screen
No Environmental Sealing
Low Screen Resolution: 230k dots
Low Battery Life: 290 shots
No Articulating Screen
No Full HD Video
Small LCD Screen: 2"
Slow Continuous Shooting: 230 fps
Type Scores

Olympus PEN E-PL1 has an Overall Score of 58/100 and ranked #168 out of 214 in Mirrorless cameras, and ranked #375 out of 1222 in all cameras.

Olympus E-PL1 Scores
Imaging score
45
Features score
56
Value for money score
74
Portability score
91
Overall score
58
Average Scores in Entry-Level Mirrorless
Imaging Score
52
Features Score
61
Value For Money Score
76
Portability Score
91
Overall score
63

Physical Dimensions of Olympus E-PL1


Olympus PEN E-PL1 weighs 334g and has external dimensions of 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.53 x 2.83 x 1.65"). Considering that the average weight of Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras is 323g, Olympus E-PL1 is 11 grams more than the average weight of cameras in this category.

Weight Comparison
Entry-Level Mirrorless Cameras


Olympus E-PL1
334g
Average weight
323g
Min weight
180g
Max weight
561g

Thickness Comparison
Entry-Level Mirrorless Cameras


Olympus E-PL1
42mm
Average Thickness
40mm
Min Thickness
23mm
Max Thickness
85mm

Here is the front and top view image of Olympus PEN E-PL1 with the dimensions:

Olympus PEN E-PL1

Size Compared to Major Competitors


Model Weight PEN E-PL1 Dimensions PEN E-PL1
Olympus PEN E-PM1 Olympus E-PM1 265 g 334 g 110 x 64 x 34 mm 115 x 72 x 42 mm
Olympus PEN E-P1 Olympus E-P1 355 g 334 g 121 x 70 x 36 mm 115 x 72 x 42 mm
Olympus PEN E-PL3 Olympus E-PL3 313 g 334 g 110 x 64 x 37 mm 115 x 72 x 42 mm
Olympus PEN E-PL7 Olympus E-PL7 357 g 334 g 115 x 67 x 38 mm 115 x 72 x 42 mm
Olympus PEN E-PL5 Olympus E-PL5 325 g 334 g 111 x 64 x 38 mm 115 x 72 x 42 mm
Olympus E-PL1s 334 g 334 g 115 x 72 x 42 mm 115 x 72 x 42 mm
Olympus PEN E-PL2 Olympus E-PL2 362 g 334 g 114 x 72 x 42 mm 115 x 72 x 42 mm
Olympus PEN E-PM2 Olympus E-PM2 269 g 334 g 110 x 64 x 34 mm 115 x 72 x 42 mm

Specifications of Olympus PEN E-PL1


General
Brand Olympus
Model PEN E-PL1
Announced May, 2010
Body Type Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Lens
Lens Mount Micro Four Thirds
Manual Focus
Focal Lens Multiplier 2
Number of Lenses 103
Macro Focus Range n/a
Screen
Screen Size 2"
Screen Type Fixed
Screen Resolution 230k pixels
Touch Screen
Live View
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage n/a%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.0
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 11
Number of Cross Focus Points 0
Photography Features
RAW Support
Min Shutter Speed 1/60 sec
Max Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec
Continuous Shooting 3.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 10.00
Flash Modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
External Flash
AE Bracketing
AE Bracketing Range ±3 EV
WB Bracketing
Sensor
Sensor Size Four Thirds
Sensor Type CMOS
Sensor Dimensions 17.3 x 13 mm
Sensor Area 224.9 mm²
Sensor Resolution 12 MP
Max Image Resolution 4032 x 3024
Max Native ISO 3200
Min Native ISO 100
Max Boosted ISO 0
Min Boosted ISO 0
Video Features
4K
Max Video Resolution 1280 x 720
Video Formats Motion JPEG
Timelapse Recording
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
Connectivity
GPS None
Wireless Connectivity Built-In
Bluetooth
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Battery
Battery Life 290 shots
Battery Type Battery Pack
Battery Model BLS-1
Physical
Weight 334 g
Physical Dimensions 115 x 72 x 42 mm
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Shock Proof
Storage
Storage Type SD/SDHC card
Storage Slots 1
Other Features
Self Timer
Selfie Friendly

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