The market for compact cameras is declining. Small companies, for which there is no so-called credit of trust, quickly go bankrupt. Only giants like Sony, Samsung, etc. remain on the market. Firms are trying to get around their competitors by squeezing all the juices out of their optical devices. Relatively recently, the notorious Olympus company introduced its new compact mirrorless mirror called PL7, which is a direct continuation of the PEN series. In this article we will discuss the new brainchild of Olympus. Want to learn more about the new PL7? Then read the article to the end.
Olympus
Olympus is a famous Japanese company that has been pleasing consumers with its optical equipment and photographic equipment for over 90 years. The Olympus trademark was registered back in 1921. Initially, the company specialized in the production of microscopes. However, the company was growing rapidly. Accordingly, the range of products began to expand actively. Already in 1934, the company manufactured optical products for cameras.
Now Olympus is one of the largest companies engaged in the production and sale of cameras and other optical products. Products coming under this brand have always been famous for their reliability, quality. Thanks to this, the company earned a certain credit of trust and a huge consumer base.
Olympus Pen E PL7: review
The Olympus company, as a rule, is not in a hurry to update its own mirrorless line. OM-D models have been on the market for two years and remain on it as an inexpensive alternative even after the release of a new device. New models of the PEN EP line also come out every two years. And the release of miniature E-PM and completely stopped. Only the most popular and, one might say, the mainstream mirrorless E-PL series is updated with enviable regularity. The line is updated annually with new devices. New cameras come out so often that you can check the clock on them. So, relatively recently the new Olympus PEN E-PL7 was released. How is this camera different from other E-PL devices? You will learn the answer to this question by reading this article.
Construction and design
The first thing you should pay attention to is the appearance of the device. In the era of digital cameras, Olympus made a rather bold and bold decision. Experts have relied on the so-called neoclassicism, they used a retro style when designing the camera. The very first model of the PEN line smacked of the 70s of the last century. Consumers took this style with enthusiasm. The trend has taken root and spread to subsequent cameras.
Olympus PEN E-PL7 was no exception. Stylish retrodesign qualitatively distinguishes PL7 from competitors. The appearance of the camera seems very sophisticated, noble. If we talk about the material, the case is completely lined with metal. This greatly increases the "survival" of the device in the event of a fall from a height. Around the perimeter, the camera is sheathed with special plastic with a finish under the skin. Thanks to this, the Olympus PEN E-PL7 14 42mm is quite pleasant to the touch and it is a pleasure to work with it. Although the PL7 is a mid-range device, it has no effect on the design. The brainchild of the Olympus company looks better than many top-end and expensive cameras. Among other things, the presence of other colors pleases. Tired of black and dull mirrorless? Not a problem. Get the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL7, which features an unusual white color.
With ergonomics, the PL7 is also in order. The camera does not slip, it lies well in the hand. The device weighs only 465 grams. Such dimensions allow you to carry PL7 in a simple bag. Especially for the thumb on the back of the panel there is a platform. Thanks to all this, the camera is convenient to shoot from any position. This, in turn, allows you to take pictures from almost any angle.
Management and Interface
The device controls have changed a bit with respect to the E-PL5. But, nevertheless, E-PL7 corresponds to the canons of the PEN line. Thus, the selector ring moved up, closer to the shutter button. Other buttons have also been rearranged. Such a rearrangement in no way affected the overall ease of management.
The Olympus PEN E-PL7 camera inherited from its predecessors (E-M1 and E-PL5) a touch screen. The interface of the new gadget has not changed. But it is worth noting that the PL7 model has an updated matrix menu that allows you to access the settings in a matter of seconds. You can call it using the Info key.
Touch control is pretty well implemented. Through the display, you can focus, shoot by clicking, view photos, scale them and apply various effects in i-Auto mode (for example, blur the background or moving object, adjust brightness, contrast, etc.). Unfortunately, the multitouch in Olympus PEN E-PL7 did not appear. In addition, small icons disappoint that it’s rather difficult to get through (especially for people with big fingers).
The main menu also has not changed. Therefore, if you used the previous devices of the PEN line, you will not have problems with management. First of all, a huge number of settings are pleasing, thanks to which you can customize the camera to your personal preferences.
Screen
The display in the new Olympus PEN E-PL7 has been greatly improved. This is noticeable in the first minutes of operation. Although the diagonal remained the same (three inches), but the resolution was almost doubled (from 460 to 1037 thousand pixels). In addition, the camera was equipped with a special mechanism that allows you to make turns 180 degrees down and 90 degrees up. This allows you to see your face while shooting a self portrait. The mechanism is made quite reliably, so inadvertently breaking it is unlikely to succeed.
Functionality
The touch screen has not been changed. The PL7 uses the good old 16-megapixel CMOS, which many are familiar with on the E-PL5 model. The processor has been updated. On board the new camera, a fairly powerful and productive TruePic 7 is installed. Thanks to such a filling, the camera is pretty smart. PL7 does not require additional time to be included in the work, it processes pictures instantly, superimposes effects, etc. The camera is capable of shooting at a speed of 8 frames per second. For such a device, this is a pretty good indicator.
The PL7 uses contrast autofocus (about 81 points). It works very quickly, it is able to recognize faces. In addition, the camera implements the ability to set specific points on which you need to focus. In addition, you can focus the camera manually. For example, using the Focus Peaking system, which emphasizes sharpness. There is also the possibility of focusing the touch screen. This function is carried out by touching the display with a finger at a certain point.
The Olympus PEN E-PL7 Kit 14-42 does not have a flash. But instead of it, if desired, you can install a comprehensive flash. In addition, a three-axis matrix stabilizer is built into the camera. It allows you to compensate for up to three EV steps. This allows you to shoot at slow shutter speeds without any blur.
Wireless functionality
One of the main features of the new Olympus PEN E-PL7 EZ is the Wi-Fi module. Thanks to this, you can attach the camera to a mobile phone. This opens up a ton of possibilities. In addition to the usual Live View, you can transfer photos directly to the memory of a tablet or smartphone, edit the received pictures using the built-in filters, etc.
Memory card compatibility
Like other PEN cameras, the new PL7 supports SD cards. However, additional memory is unlikely to be needed. Indeed, thanks to the Wi-Fi module, images can be dumped directly to a smartphone or any other gadget. Images are automatically saved in JPEG or RAW format (12 bits). The maximum resolution, as in the E-PL5, is 4608 at 3456.
It is also worth noting that the camera for wired high-speed data transmission has a USB interface (version 2.0) and a micro-HDMI connector. In addition, there is a special port for branded accessories from Olympus.
Video
In terms of video shooting, the PL7 has not far gone from its predecessors. Like the E-PL 5, the new camera shoots video in HD quality (frequency - about 30 frames per second). Autofocus works during recording. There is also a built-in stereo microphone that provides clear sound. You can add various effects to the video, apply unusual filters. In addition, PL7 allows multiple filters to be used sequentially in a single video. Transitions between them can be set manually.
Creative tools
Olympus PEN E-PL7 also boasts a huge set of diverse tools for creativity, interesting functions. For example, a shooting mode called Panning Shot, which allows you to make incredibly beautiful panoramas. This also includes the Hand-Held Twilight mode, which combines eight frames into one, which allows to reduce noise and improve image quality.
It is also worth saying a few words about e-Portrait. This mode, together with the self-timer, makes it possible to adjust the shooting interval. This is very useful during selfies. Obtained self-portraits can be processed without problems in the built-in program called Photo Booth.
Battery
The Olympus PEN E-PL7 comes with a BLS-50 battery, whose capacity is about 1210 mAh. This is enough for more than 300 shots. At first glance, it might seem that this is pretty small. But for a compact mirrorless 300 shots is a pretty solid indicator. In addition, other manufacturers care little about the autonomy of their device. Therefore, in today's market it is quite difficult to find a mirrorless camera that would have greater autonomy than the PL7.
Total
In the past few years, a fierce struggle has been unfolding in the compact photographic market. Companies are forced to lure customers not by quantity, but by quality. The current trend is perfectly supported by the Olympus PEN E-PL7. Reviews about this model are extremely positive. According to customers, it is characterized by an attractive design, high quality materials. According to them, at the moment the PL7 looks much more solid than the same E-PL5.
As for functionality, everything here is also up to par. Specialists from the Olympus company did their best. The owners of this camera emphasize that the new processor, filters, an improved video camera with a special rotary mechanism, a lot of software features, the presence of Wai-Fai - everything is done at the highest level. Perhaps the main drawbacks of the camera in terms of functionality is the lack of a built-in flash and a video finder. However, these problems are solvable.