Olympus PEN E-PM1 Review

Overall Score

58

Main Features

  • 12 MP Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • 100 - 12800 ISO
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • Electronic (optional) Viewfinder
  • 6 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-In Wireless
  • 110 x 64 x 34 mm, 265g.
  • Price Category:
  • Replaced by: PEN E-PM2

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Olympus PEN E-PM1 Overview


First introduced in November, 2011, Olympus PEN E-PM1 is a 12 MP Mirrorless with a Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sized CMOS sensor.

Olympus replaced PEN E-PM1 with Olympus E-PM2. Follow the link to read our detailed comparison of these models:

Compare Olympus E-PM1 with Olympus E-PM2


Olympus E-PM1 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-PM1

Sensor resolution of Olympus E-PM1 ~ 3995 x 3003 pixels.

Olympus E-PM1 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-PM1 Series History
Model Year $ Sensor ISO Weight Dimensions
Olympus PEN E-PM2 Olympus E-PM2 2013 16MP 200 - 25600 269g 110 x 64 x 34mm
Olympus PEN E-PM1 Olympus E-PM1 2011 12MP 100 - 12800 265g 110 x 64 x 34mm

Proc and Cons of Olympus E-PM1


Get to know this camera closer. Let's look at the features and characteristics of this model. Compare Olympus PEN E-PM1 with competitors in entry-level mirrorless cameras.

Pros
Built-in Wireless
External Flash
RAW Support
6.0 fps Continuous Shooting
Manual Focus
265g Light Body
±3 AE Bracketing Range
Focus Bracketing
Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
AF Face Detection
12800 Max Native ISO
1/4000s Max Shutter Speed
Manual Exposure Mode
35 Focus Points
Flash Sync Port
Cons
No Bluetooth
No Touch Screen
Low Screen Resolution: 460k dots
No Articulating Screen
No Environmental Sealing
Low Battery Life: 330 shots
Type Scores

Olympus PEN E-PM1 has an Overall Score of 58/100 and ranked #165 out of 214 in Mirrorless cameras, and ranked #378 out of 1222 in all cameras.

Olympus E-PM1 Scores
Imaging score
46
Features score
56
Value for money score
73
Portability score
94
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-PM1


Olympus PEN E-PM1 weighs 265g and has external dimensions of 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.33 x 2.52 x 1.34"). Considering that the average weight of Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras is 323g, Olympus E-PM1 is 58 grams less than the average weight of cameras in this category. Olympus E-PM1 is less by 5mm more than the average length in Entry-Level Mirrorless.

Weight Comparison
Entry-Level Mirrorless Cameras


Olympus E-PM1
265g
Average weight
323g
Min weight
180g
Max weight
561g

Thickness Comparison
Entry-Level Mirrorless Cameras


Olympus E-PM1
34mm
Average Thickness
40mm
Min Thickness
23mm
Max Thickness
85mm

Here is the front and top view image of Olympus PEN E-PM1 with the dimensions:

Olympus PEN E-PM1

Size Compared to Major Competitors


Model Weight PEN E-PM1 Dimensions PEN E-PM1
Olympus PEN E-PM2 Olympus E-PM2 269 g 265 g 110 x 64 x 34 mm 110 x 64 x 34 mm
Olympus PEN E-PL1 Olympus E-PL1 334 g 265 g 115 x 72 x 42 mm 110 x 64 x 34 mm
Olympus PEN E-PL3 Olympus E-PL3 313 g 265 g 110 x 64 x 37 mm 110 x 64 x 34 mm
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 Panasonic GF3 264 g 265 g 108 x 67 x 32 mm 110 x 64 x 34 mm
Olympus PEN E-P1 Olympus E-P1 355 g 265 g 121 x 70 x 36 mm 110 x 64 x 34 mm
Olympus PEN E-PL5 Olympus E-PL5 325 g 265 g 111 x 64 x 38 mm 110 x 64 x 34 mm
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1 Panasonic GM1 204 g 265 g 99 x 55 x 30 mm 110 x 64 x 34 mm
Olympus PEN E-PL7 Olympus E-PL7 357 g 265 g 115 x 67 x 38 mm 110 x 64 x 34 mm

Specifications of Olympus PEN E-PM1


General
Brand Olympus
Model PEN E-PM1
Announced November, 2011
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 3"
Screen Type Fixed
Screen Resolution 460k 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 35
Number of Cross Focus Points 0
Photography Features
RAW Support
Min Shutter Speed 1/60 sec
Max Shutter Speed 1/4000 sec
Continuous Shooting 6.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash
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 12800
Min Native ISO 100
Max Boosted ISO 0
Min Boosted ISO 0
Video Features
4K
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080
Video Formats AVCHD, 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 330 shots
Battery Type Battery Pack
Battery Model BLS-5
Physical
Weight 265 g
Physical Dimensions 110 x 64 x 34 mm
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Shock Proof
Storage
Storage Type SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage Slots 1
Other Features
Self Timer
Selfie Friendly

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