Olympus PEN E-PL5

At its heart, the Olympus E-PL5 shares much with the incredibly popular OM-D E-M5: it shares the exact same pairing of image sensor and processor, but places them in a much smaller body. (It's still all-metal, though, and comes with a removable hand grip to let you choose if you prefer less bulk or a better feel in-hand.)

The Olympus PL5's image sensor is a 4:3-aspect, 16.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor supplied by Sony. It's capable of providing images at a maximum resolution of 4,608 x 3,456 pixels. Sensitivity from the chip ranges as high as ISO 25,600 equivalent.

Output from the imager is handled by a TruePic VI image processor, a designation first seen in last year's E-P3 mirrorless camera.

Although it's the same processor used in the E-M5, the Olympus PL5's burst performance isn't quite as swift as that camera. With focus locked, the E-PL5 can deliver a full eight frames per second, swift by mirrorless standards but still one less than the E-M5 provides.

Enable tracking autofocus though, and this falls to a more sedate 3.5 frames per second. That's about 0.7 fps slower than the E-M5 managed.

Like all PEN-series models, the Olympus E-PL5 sports a Micro Four Thirds lens mount that can accept a wide selection of over 30 dedicated lenses from Olympus, Panasonic, and Voigtländer. (Admittedly, several of these are very similar to each other in specification; there's still a little over 20 models that are reasonably distinct, however.) Courtesy of various first- and third-party adapters, the Micro Four Thirds mount can also accept a huge variety of older glass including lenses made for Olympus and Panasonic's full-sized Four Thirds cameras, albeit often with limitations regarding autofocus, exposure, etc.

There are several new lenses announced alongside the Olympus PL5. These include the unusual BCL-15 Body Cap Lens (a 9mm-thick, three element f/8, manual focus pancake), the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 60mm f2.8 ($500), and a limited-edition black version of the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12mm f2.0 (US$1,100). The latter two lenses ship from early October. Development of a M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 17mm f1.8 prime has also been revealed.

Although the Olympus PEN PL5 does include in-body image stabilization, it's not the same system used in the E-M5. Hence, it corrects only for pitch and yaw like most other stabilization systems. It lacks the E-M5's ability to correct for roll, or for up/down and left/right translational motions.

Another thing that does make it across intact from the popular E-M5 is the PEN E-PL5's contrast detection autofocus system. Branded as "Frequency Acceleration Sensor Technology," or "FAST" AF for short, it's a system that's claimed to offer the world's fastest autofocusing when coupled with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-50mm f/3.5-6.3 EZ lens. That comes thanks to a stunning readout speed of 240 frames per second (but with reduced accuracy) for continuous autofocus, and a more typical 120 fps readout rate (with maximum accuracy) for single autofocus.

Like that in the M5, the Olympus PL5's contrast detection AF system still has 35 fixed autofocus point locations, with the points arranged in a 7 x 5 array that covers most of the image frame. You can switch to a small single-point focus point that you can position where you need it simply by tapping on the camera's touchscreen, however. And to help out with focusing on nearby subjects in low light, the PL5 retains its predecessor's autofocus assist lamp.

As you'd expect, Olympus' dust removal system is included in the E-PL5. This vibrates the cover glass over the sensor with a dedicated piezoelectric element to shake dust free, then captures it on an adhesive strip beneath the sensor.

There's no built-in viewfinder, but the Olympus E-PL5 retains the company's proprietary Accessory Port 2 just beneath its flash hot shoe, which allows the camera to accept a number of accessories. These include the same two electronic viewfinders used with past Olympus cameras, along with the EMA-1 external microphone adapter, MAL-1 Macro Arm Light, and PENPAL Bluetooth Communication Unit accessories.

The PL3's 3.0-inch, 460,000 dot, 16:9 aspect LCD panel is retained in the PEN PL5, but with a couple of important changes.

First, the articulation mechanism now has an expanded swivel range of approximately 170° up and about 65° down. That means you can now frame self-portraits using the LCD, so long as nothing is mounted in the hot shoe.

Also, the panel itself now has a gapless design which places a capacitive touch sensitive layer in between the LCD itself and the protective cover glass. The removal of the air gap should translate to reduced glare and better contrast. There's also now an anti-smudge coating that should reduce the likelihood of fingerprints on the display. You can now opt for Vivid or Natural display modes, as well.

We've mentioned the touch screen, by the way, and it's worth noting that this is a new addition since the E-PL3. The Olympus PL5's touch screen not only allows you to set focus and make adjustments; you can even trip the shutter with a tap on the LCD panel. And since it's a capacitive design like higher-end smartphones, it should be sensitive enough to do so with very little camera shake.

There's no built-in flash, but the Olympus PL5 does come with the same FL-LM1 accessory flash that was included with the PL3. This has a guide number of 10 meters at ISO 200 equivalent. The E-PL5's hot shoe can also accept a variety of other, more powerful strobes. Flash sync is possible between 1/60 and 1/160 second, and the E-PL5 also allows Super FP flash between 1/125 and 1/4,000 second, if supported by the attached flash. The E-PL5 also supports four-channel wireless flash with the bundled strobe acting as a master, and off-camera flash strobes configured in up to 3 groups.

Olympus has made a couple of changes to the creative options in the PEN PL5. These include a new high dynamic range imaging mode, and an additional Art Filter effect. The new HDR mode automatically combines multiple shots--we don't yet know how many--into a single exposure with greater dynamic range than is possible in a single exposure. There's a user-selectable step size between exposures of either 2 or 3 EV. The additional Art Filter Effect is Watercolor, which is added to the eleven filter types found in the PL5.

You can still record high definition 1080i (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) interlaced movies with the Olympus PL5, but there are a few additions in this area, too.

Thanks to the new touch screen, you can now simply tap to select a new focus point during video capture, making it easy to guide your viewers' attention to a different subject.

You can also now switch between different art filters during recording, something we've not seen before from any manufacturer.

So that the change isn't jarring, one filter effect will fade out and the other will fade in. It's a neat idea that could be fun if you're the type who enjoys these effects.

You can also now enable what Olympus calls Movie Teleconverter, which is essentially a variable focal length crop.

Since there's no mechanical adjustment being made, this is silent. It also shouldn't significantly degrade image quality, since you're not using interpolation. (Beyond that inherent in all Bayer-filtered cameras, anyway.)

The Olympus E-PL5 doesn't include built-in WiFi connectivity, but the company has built support for Toshiba's FlashAir WiFi-capable flash cards into the PL5's firmware. Although plans are still subject to change, we understand that Olympus expects to bundle a rebate that will offer a free FlashAir card with the purchase of the Olympus PL5.

An application for Android and iOS operating systems will allow sharing of photos from the camera via your smartphone, as well as application of filters to the photos before sharing. You can also use the existing PenPal accessory to transfer images to your phone via Bluetooth.

Other connectivity includes the Accessory Port 2, USB 2.0 data, HDMI, and an analog audio/video output.

Power comes courtesy of a proprietary BLS-5 lithium ion battery pack, and a BCS-5 charger is included in the product bundle.

Several new accessories will be offered alongside the PEN E-PL5 camera body. These include the CS-38B leather body jacket in four different colors, the MCG-3PR camera grip in three different patterns, and the CBG-8 camera bag.

Available from October 2012, the Olympus PEN E-PL5 is priced at about US$650 body-only. Three body colors will be available: black, silver, or white. A kit bundling the M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 II R zoom lens will list for about US$700.