PEN E-P3

The Classic.

 

The E-P3 is the flagship PEN camera that's designed for the enthusiast who wants a compact system camera that combines a hip modern-retro style with lightning-quick responsiveness. With the one of the world's fastest autofocus speed (for single-shot AF), a brilliant 3-inch OLED touchscreen and a premium built-quality, the E-P3 might just be the SLR replacement you've been waiting for.


 

 

12.3MP
LiveMOS
12800
ISO
3.0”
610k OLED
SLR IMAGE
SENSOR
 

Features 

DSLR Focusing Speeds

The exciting PEN E-P3 features the DSLR focusing speeds to help you capture those memorable moments that may be over in a blink of an eye.

Olympus' class leading auto focusing algorithm, Frequency Acceleration Sensor Technology or FAST AF, collects information from the imaging sensor at a rate of up to 120 times per second to measure changes in light contrast.  This in turn allows for the camera to measure changes in light contrasts allowing Olympus' lenses to focus quickly and accurately.

High End SLR responsiveness

Annoyed that the once-in-a-lifetime picture moment is happening in front of you and you can’t take the shot because you’re still waiting for the LCD screen to come back to life after you’ve taken the previous picture?  Untimely delays shall not hinder you with the E-P3.  Olympus' TruePic VI picture processor features extremely quick parallel processing that lets you keep on shooting with minimal interruptions.

Next

OLED touch-screen

The luxurious OLED screen displays more colours than normal LCD screens, giving you true-to-life colours and deeper blacks. With its capacitative touch-screen that’s equal to the best tablets and smartphones today, the E-P3 gives you the power to shoot just by tapping the part of the scene where you want the camera to focus! During playback, just tap and glide your finger across the screen to flick through the pictures you’ve taken.

Sensational Image Quality

The new 12.3 megapixel Live MOS sensor and new TruePic VI image processor combine to deliver true SLR quality picture better than before. The new sensor provides low-noise low light photography, and better highlight detail with its 2/3 EV improvement in dynamic range. The latest TruePic VI image processor records high-saturation colour with improved details giving you pictures that look even more realistic than ever before.

Exciting Art Filters

A full complement of ten art filters gives you the sort of creative flexibility and fun that used to require a computer with Photoshop software. When you’re bored with shooting just ‘normal’ pictures, simply switch to the Art Filter shooting mode where you can turn an ordinary scene into something truly extraordinary. For the experienced photographer who like more control, Art Filters can also be used in semi-automatic or manual exposure settings. If you prefer to shoot first and pick your Art Filter later, easily apply Art Filter effects with Olympus Viewer software with any RAW image file captured with the E-P3. This professional-grade software is supplied in the box.

Full HD video

The E-P3 is the first Olympus PEN model to feature Full HD video capture, courtesy of the high transfer rates of the new 12.3MP sensor. It’s new advanced digital image stabiliser system provides camcorder grade stabilisation of such quality that you can even walk and record a high quality video with your E-P3 without the help of a steadicam rig. To further facilitate high quality-video capture, the E-P3 allows you to select slower shutter speeds to film real-world moving scenes with the right amount of blur for better realism, or to remove the undesirable flicker of fluorescent lighting.

Camera type Compact System Camera
Image sensor type LiveMOS
Sensor-self cleaning system Supersonic Wave
ISO range 200-12800
Interchangeable lens types Micro Four Thirds + Other lenses via suitable MFT adaptors
Viewing screen size 3 inch
External live viewfinder VF-2 (optional)
Image stabilisation Built-in
Autofocus system type Imager Contrast Detection AF system
Low-light AF assistance Built-in AF illuminator
Metering modes (1) Digital ESP metering (324-area multi pattern metering) (2) Center weighted average metering (3) Spot metering (approx. 1% of the viewfinder screen. Highlight / shadow bias spot metering are available)
Shooting modes (1) iAuto (2) P: Programme AE (Programme shift can be performed) (3) A: Aperture priority AE (4) S: Shutter priority AE (5) M: Manual (6) Scene select AE (7) Art Filter
Exposure bracketing 2, 3, 5 frames in 0.3, 0.7, 1EV steps selectable, 7frames in 0.3, 0.5, 0.7EV steps selectable
Max. burst shooting speed 3 frames/sec. in sequential shooting; max. recordable shots: RAW mode: Max. 11 frames ( with Toshiba SDHC UHS-I card R95 W80 model Premiugate series "Class 10" 8GB); JPEG(LN) mode: Until limitation of the memory capacity with same card.
3D recording Yes
Photo Art Filter types Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Color, Light Tone, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Gentle Sepia, Cross Process, Dramatic Tone
Assisted shooting mode Live Guide
Flash sync speed 1/60-1/180 (Super FP mode: 1/125-1/4000 with external flash)
Remote RM-UC1 (optional)
WB options 6 settings (3000K - 7500K), Lamp (3000K), Fluorescent (4000K), Daylight (5300K), Flash (5500K), Cloudy (6000K), Shade (7500K)
Colour space sRGB, Adobe RGB
Flash hotshoe for external flash Yes
Wireless flash capability Yes
Internal memory None
Photo file sizes RAW: 4032x3024 (approx. 1/1.5 lossless compressed) Approx. 13.8MB; LF: 4032x3024 (1/4 compressed JPEG) Approx. 5.9MB; LN: 4032x3024 (1/8 compressed JPEG) Approx. 2.7MB; MN: 2560x1920 (1/8 compressed JPEG) Approx. 1.1MB; SN: 1024x768 (1/8 compressed JPEG)
Recording time AVCHD Format : Max 29min (Full HD Normal/HD Fine/HD Normal : 29min, Full HD Fine : 22min), Motion-JPEG Format : HD: 7min, SD: 14min (Some Artfilters are exceptional)
Video with sound Yes
Built in microphone type Stereo
Compatible AP accessories PP-1, VF-2, MAL-1, SEMA-1
AV interface (Cable type) Mini HDMI type-C (optional)
Battery charger BCS-1
Dimensions WxHxD 122.0 mm (W) x 69.1mm (H) x 34.3mm (D) (excluding protrusions)
Operating temperature range 0 - 40℃ (operation) / -20 - 60℃ (storage)
Box content Body, Li-ion battery BLS-1, Li-ion battery charger BCS-1, USB/Video Multi cable, Shoulder strap, OLYMPUS Viewer 2/ib CD-ROM, Instruction manual, Warranty card.
Underwater housing option No

Effective megapixels 12.3
Image sensor size 4/3
Image processing engine TruePic VI
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds
Viewing screen type OLED Touch Screen
Screen resolution 614,000
External live viewfinder resolution 1,440,000 dots
IS modes IS1, IS2, IS3, OFF
Focus modes Single AF (S-AF) / Continuous AF (C-AF) / Manual Focus (MF) / S-AF + MF / AF tracking (C-AF + TR)
Light metering system TTL Image Sensor metering system
Metering range EV 0 - 20 (Digital ESP metering, Centre weighted average metering, Spot metering)
Scene modes Portrait, e-Portrait, Landscape, Landscape + Portrait, Macro, Sport, Night Scene, Night + Portrait, Children, High Key, Low Key, DIS mode, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Document, Panorama, Fireworks, Beach & Snow, Fisheye Conv, Wide Conv, Macro Conv, 3D
Still picture aspect ratios 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, 6:6, 3:4
Panorama recording In Scene select AE mode
Creative filter system Art Filters
Video Art Filter types (Video) Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Color, Light Tone, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Gentle Sepia, Cross Process, Dramatic Tone
ShutterSpeedRange 60 - 1/4000 sec. Bulb: up to 30 min. (selectable longest time in the menu. Default: 8 min). 1/3, 1/2, or 1EV steps selectable.
Self timer 12 sec., 2 sec. (cancel available)
Automatic WB system High speed Live MOS sensor
WB bracketing 3 frames in 2, 4, 6 steps selectable in each A-B/G-M axis
Flash type and power GN10 (Fno/m) at ISO200, 7(Fno/m) at ISO100
Compatible external flash units FL-50R, FL-36R, FL-50, FL-36, FL-14, FL-300R
Memory card type SD Memory Card (SDHC, SDXC, UHS-I compatible), Eye-Fi, Class 6 is recommended for Movie shooting
Photo recording format(s) RAW (12-bit lossless compression), JPEG, RAW+JPEG, MPO (3D still)
Video recording format AVCHD/AVI M-JPEG; Best settings: AVCHD Full HD Fine : 1920(H)x1080(V), 60i Recording, 20Mbps, Aspect 16:9, 30fps; HD: 1280(H)x720(V), 30fps (Some Artfilters are exceptional), Aspect 16:9
Video file sizes AVCHD: Max 4GB; M-JPEG: Max 2GB
In-camera editing options Shadow adjustment, Red-eye fix, Trimming, Aspect. Monotone, Sepia, Saturation (colour depth), Resize (producing another file, 1280x960, 640x480, 320x240), e-portrait
External microphone option SEMA-1 (optional)
Computer interface (Cable type) CB-USB6 USB Cable
Battery type (model) BLS-1 Li-ion battery (included)
Battery life (CIPA standard) Approx. 330 shots
Weight 369g(including Battery and Memory card), 321g (body only)
Operating humidity range 30 - 90% (operation) / 10 - 90% (storage)
Available kits Single-lens kit with M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm IIR $999; Double Zoom kit with M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm IIR & 40-150mm R $1199
Specification Images