Olympus Tag

This diminutive lens was launched with the last generation of Pens, and aside from its 100 degree wide field of view the big news then was that this is an MSC (Movie-Still-Compatible) lens. That plainly means that it’s optimised for movies and stills… and translated that means it’s fast, smooth and silent when focusing.

Alongside the announcement of the new E-P3 this week, Olympus also launched a new generation PEN Lite in the form of the E-PL3 as well as a brand new addition to the PEN family: the PEN Mini, aka the E-PM1. Both are expected to be availble in Autumn 2011 with pricing yet to be confirmed.

Over 18 months have passed since the E-P2 was released, and this week Olympus has launched its long-anticipated replacement: the E-P3. The latest generation of the ever-popular PEN range of Micro Four Thirds system cameras still sports it’s classic, retro styling as well as some rather exciting new features…

The Olympus Pens launched a renaissance for photography, an anti-nerd emphasis on the camera as man’s image making friend. Capturing the moment is capturing the mood and that’s not just what you see so adding Art Filters made perfect sense for Pen photographers. New ones have been arriving steadily but I could have lived without them until… now!

The E-PL2 gets underwater armour in the cobby, polycarbonate shape of the PT-EP03. I went for a nominal dunk before I could head off for my spring diving but a quick pool plunge can only tell you so much, real findings only emerge once the sea is playing ball.

The new housing for the XZ-1 may be the the junior system but expectations are sky high. It has a tough task ahead, to re-establish a line of serious underwater compacts that took a sabbatical in 2006. As a worthy successor it has the just right credentials; great lens, lots of control and designed-in dive friendly features.

Proof against more things in more ways than any of its rivals – the TG-810 can be dropped from 2m, submerged to 10m, crushed by 100kg, frozen to -10oC and apparently even resists scratches. At the same time it’s crammed to the gills with outdoor extras, so now when the going gets tough the Tough knows where it’s going.

I shall start by getting straight to the point; I wanted to buy a tough camera that could accompany me on my climbing, walking and canoeing trips and I’d narrowed my choice down to one of 4 point and shoot cameras; the Panasonic FT3, the Fuji XP30, the Olympus TG-810 and the Pentax WG-1 GPS. As such, in an act of selfless generosity I offered to review of all four during a trip to Scotland to climb Ben Nevis.

These lens fetish cameras are trying harder than ever to add the SLR magic that people want – even if they don’t know an f/stop from a g-string. Of the enthusiast compacts I’ve tried recently, the XZ-1 strikes the best balance of pros and cons.

Although any camera has to stand on its own, the E-PL2 benefits from the retro vibe which the rest of the Pen line is steeped in. It’s a good looking camera from the front and sits between the ultra stylish P1 and the functional PL1.