I remember it like yesterday when this camera was released. I had a chance to review it right when it was fresh and I was impressed. I haven't handled one for ages, but would be nice to try it again some day.
Nice Video Robin...Crisp snaps on a 10 year old Micro-four thirds camera with a 12 Megapixel sensor!...I recall watching a video of Tony Northrup where he claimed that his mobile camera beats a micro-four third sensor camera!...this video and the snaps here put things in the proper perspective.
In broad daylight if you are just focusing on resolution alone, maybe. But in most less than ideal scenarios a proper camera still has the edge. And MFT cameras ARE proper cameras. Smartphones will eventually make cameras obsolete from a technical point of view. They are already competing strongly in terms of video for vloggers, but they still have ways to go in many scenarios. Computational photography is the inevitable future though.
I still use a Lumix G5 and a Lumix FZ200 bridge. How old are they? - 2012. They can still knock spots off my iPhone. He's talking out of his hat, not for the first time neither. The FZ200 has that ultra-long fast lens but the G5 is a cuddly old friend. Panasonic got the haptics right with the G5. It's a pity it doesn't have a few of the later toys, I can live without wifi but focus peaking would be nice. One of the issues with the G5 and other older cameras is the LCD/EVF don't have enough pixels to see how good the photos are. Get them onto a computer screen and yeah, she's still got it.
@@XTJ7 no. If you even zoom in to 50% every smartphone image I’ve seen completely falls apart and look like watercolor paintings. They are designed to take photos viewed on smartphones, and make passable small prints up to 4x6. The “shot on iPhone” billboards are upscaled using very advanced software, and you’re viewing them from far away usually.
@@joeltunnah Yes and no. I mostly agree with you, but while a 100mp smartphone sensor is clearly not capable of resolving 100mp through that tiny lens and can't even remotely compare to a Fuji GFX 100s for example, it does resolve more details than a 12mp camera, IF the light is ideal. Up the ISO just a tiny bit and it is all falling apart. But under ideal circumstances, some phones can provide more resolution than older cameras. Do the images look better? I would disagree on that, but that is highly subjective. Resolution can be objectively quantified though and in some very specific cases smartphones can be superior.
@@XTJ7 the first time I compared my old Canon SD600 point & shoot (6MP) to my then brand new iPhone 7 (12MP), I realized megapixels were mainly marketing nonsense. Nobody would say the iPhone had more resolution than the little Canon if you printed an 8x10 from both, or zoomed in on the screen. I think you’re right, it’s because of the tiny lens, but also the smaller sensor area, and heavy noise reduction. And the SD600 had a superior CCD sensor. Very film like rendering and colors.
Great video! Always enjoy watching the videos you make. This was my first step into the mirrorless market and you're right, it's still a fun camera to take around out since it's so small and compact. I still take mines out from time to time with a pancake lens and a viewfinder attachment and it makes a great discrete street shooter.
Thank you for the enjoyable and informative videos! I picked up a Pen Mini years ago as my first MFT camera. Since that time I was able to add another for a VERY low cost. The thing I like most about the Mini is it's small size and ease of carry. I've got more "serious" cameras but the Pen Mini is just one of those cameras that makes you smile.
robin, thanks so much for reminding us that there is a joy in a more minimalist camera that results in artful images. I love clean simple things that often get overlooked by more complex things.
Great video. It reminds us that basically, any camera produced in the last decade could keep on giving great images, as long as the photographer using it knows its strengths and limitations. And you definitely show that the small and old EPM still packs a lot of punch! That details on the man's face (the slightly watery eye), that was impressive to think that a decade-old camera can pull that details. I never use EPM but used to have a compact Point n Shoot camera with a similar problem with its smooth body. I use the cheap metal thumb grip and glue a faux leather in the front right side of the camera. It seriously improves the grip and handling of the camera.
This was my first interchangeable lens camera, and still super fun to use, especially with a Panasonic 14mm f2.5 lens. I made a slim front grip from Sugru years ago, made everything much easier. This camera could do almost everything the big boys could, even control a couple of external flashes. It even outlived my E-M5. Battered, beaten, but still going strong.
After watching your video, I was intrigued and bought a used Penn Lite E-PL3 body for $68.00, put an Olympus 14-42 pancake lens on it, and went out shooting. I WAS impressed about how this camera that dates to 2011 produced such quality results. It was also interesting to see how its various features and controls ultimately evolved into those I work with on my E-M1 Mk IIs. And its 12 MP sensor provided a lesson about how overblown the hype may have been in the "never enough" MP marketing wars of the past. This $70 camera body produces 12 MP images that are commercially viable for anyone, like myself, shooting for clients who are completely web focused. I won't use it for that but it does make a great pocket carry-around camera for cheap.
I have an E-PM1 and it actually power's up almost instantaneously, a good camera on its day but it's only real advantage over a premium smartphone camera now is it's lens interchangeability, the 12MP sensor isn't the sharpest all round or the best in low light though the colours and white balance are generally good. My main dislikes are lack of built in viewfinder as the screen is difficult to see outdoors, and lack of built in flash. Personally if I was in the market for a second hand pen mini I would pay a little extra coin and get the E-PM2 with the significantly better 16MP sensor.
For me, a compact 20MP camera with a compact pancake-style lens like the PEN Mini would be a perfect walk-around, go-anywhere camera. I too, cannot understand why Olympus isn't making this camera anymore.
Hi Robin, my wife bought me the Pen E-P 1 when it first came out and I have since moved on to more advanced cameras like the Em1 mk3. The E-P 1 eventually led me to m43 instead of full frame Canon - a common story I guess but I still shoot with the E-P 1 for fun occasionally. Thanks for the video I really enjoy being reminded of such key points in my photography experience.
hi, i have this camera myself (bought it years ago when I don't know a lot), and I would like to ask your help on how to know which pancake lens would be suitable for this camera? (in terms of what specs to look for) tqsm.
Hello Robin. Well my PEN Mini arrived today. What a cute little camera. The learning curve sure is strange. I'm so use to buttons on the camera body (E-1,E-30) . Can't wait to get all the menus figured out , though . Again, thankx for showing this cute little camera. KB EDIT:OH, this PEN Mini replaced my, now retired C5060. KB
Great presentation of yesterday's Olympus tech. Modern Smartphones with their way of spotting tiny sensors will never hold up with the real thing with interchangeable lenses etc. The pictures out of this 12MP sensor look so stunning! It's really not about the pixels but the size and quality of the senor. For example I was a proud owner of the Canon PowerShot S40 back in 2001. This camera only had a 4MP sensor but the pictures had been absolutely stunning, even in low light! I can watch them on a 55 inch screen today and would not be able to tell that these fotos are coming from just a 4MP sensor. Btw., if you could get your hands on a Samsung NX-Mini to compare it with this Olympus, I think that would be great, too. What do you think?
I had one in brown colour. After two years of usage something damaged inside the camera body and can't be used anymore. I changed it to a mark one E-M10. I'm continously monitoring marketplaces to find a used pm1 in brown colour, but there is no available.
I wonder if you saw the Tony Northrup video where he claimed that a smartphone even beats a full frame Canon R3 with kitlens nowadays. Of course he didn't show the exifs.
Just bought it, added a rubber grip that attaches with a mylar sheet with 3mm adhesive. My Lumix 9mm is going to live on this camera. Great video as usual Robin.
The Panasonic GM1 was too small and fiddly for me but I picked up a Pen Lite E-PL5 and am blown away with it. It is a similar size to the Pen Mini and I love the way it handles. Picture quality and colours are lovely. It's a great fun camera. I use it with a Laowa 7.5mm, set focus midway between ininity and 0.5 m, shoot at f/5.6 in Program mode and almost every shot is a good one. A day's shooting is fun.
I got one of these a few weeks ago used ($65 CAD), and it still works except for one thing; whenever you swap the battery, it forgets date and time (have to set this every time you change the battery). I'm amazed yours doesn't do this! It retains all the camera settings however, so it's still perfectly usable.
I did have an used E-PM1 for a while but I sold it to a friend. I didn't need it because I have EPL-3 which is almost as small, has articulating screen, better buttons and mode dial.
My other drawback is the battery. By today's standards it is bulky as is the charger, runs out too fast. and requires a standard outlet to recharge. Always carry a fully charged extra battery.
hi robin I recently got a pen mini , and once I take a picture and I click on the playback it won't show it unless I turn off and on the camera , n after I turn it on I press the playback button and it shows , but after I take a picture again it won't let me preview it, is there a setting for it? or my cam is mess up?
The EPM-2 has a small grip on it, and it powers on in less than one second, so that handles two of Robin's objections. I really wish OM Systems would come up with an EPM-3. I would add another dial around the shutter button that would control exposure compensation. That's the dial I use most on my M5 and M10. I would also like it to have the M10's advanced photo features. Now, add a super compact 15 mm f2.2 pancake lens to it, like the inverse retrofocus 35 mm f/2.8 on the Olympus XA, and a flip up back, and it would be the perfect street photography camera.
I love my Olympus E-PL1 and i provide photographic services just putting a good and appropriate lens on it. Thank you for this interesting point of view.
I bought a Panasonic GF5 a month ago. It's new although it's a 10 year old with a 12 megapixel camera. The photos is outstanding and the processor is fast. I got 1 year warranty by Panasonic Malaysia. Bought it at RM1K. Definetely not the price with a few cups of coffee. 😅😅😅
Today im getting an used E-PM1 and after watching your video i feel it would be a wise decision to get mine as well. Small, compact and concise, and even more pocketable than a E-PL3. It just the essence of what MFT should be. Too bad it doesnt come with touch screen and quite unusable at ASM mode.
I got the E-PM2, I love it so much that I bought another excellent copy used at USD100 (with battery and VF-2). The E-PM2 is amazing. IBIS. 16MP modern E-M5 similar image sensor. Touch screen. I love this camera to death.
Hi Robin, I once used the PEN F 3, little bit bigger than that camera you showed in your video. So I want to tell you a story, believe me it´s true. I was somewhere in Darjeeling, India and in the lodge the Head Lhama provided a ceremony. It was not possible to take a picture of the Lhama, the autofocusbox was circulating around the Lhama, so I did not get any sharp foto!!!
Robin, i picked up an E-PL1, a few months older camera, for almost nothing a few years ago. I could not believe I got an interchangeable lens camera for such a low price. All of my M43 lenses fit and work perfectly with this small body.
Thanks for the great content! Can you tell me why we should still buy a micro four third camera since cmos and apsc are similar sizes + the bigger sensors.. For example the Canon m10 or the sony a5100?! Best
I´m even using the Pen e-PL1 and it has better image quality than my Google Pixel 5. Of course the Pixel pictures look great on the little screen due to all of the processing but if I want to process the raws myself the bigger sensor of the PL1 gives me alot better files and adjustability. But that is to be expected. The advantage of the phone is that I´m almost alway carrying it and I get very beautiful pictures without having to do anything.
I love My pen mini. Even though I have an EM1 most of the time I slap on the Panasonic 20mm pancake to the pen mini and go shooting. Small lightweight and way better quality than my iPhone.
I have EP1 and its dial/button configuration is very smart and fast. I still cannot believe how sharp and clean the jpegs are from this camera with 20mm 1.7 and super cheap
bought the similarly sized, aged, and speced GF3 a few years back to act as a backup camera to my GX7s... OK that's not true I bought it for the 14mm pancake lens it came with the camera was just a bonus extra, but it used the same batteries as the GX7 so I traveled around Europe and Japan for months with this as the backup and just to have a different focal length at hand. still use both the GF3 and GX7's a lot as they are both small and more than up to the job for casual travel photography.
Great video, as always! My ep-3 is my favorite camera. I have an EM-1 also, but the one I grab consistently is the ep-3 because of it's small size, and full instant dial control. I do have the vf-2 evf, and I find that it is essential in bright light. I only wish the ep-3 had an articulating lcd! But the vf-2 allows me to look down for low shots, so it works. I have an ep-1 also, as a backup, but will watch for a great deal on an epm-1.
I actually own it's little sister, E-PL1 - i once needed a cheap backup camera and i could borrow a Lumix 25/1.7(awesome lens btw). I bought E-PL1 for around $50 and it was really great! It's pretty much the cheapest camera with IBIS you can buy.
Had a camera similarly smooth in the grip area. I got myself some velcro strips, I stuck a strip of the fluffy/eye velcro on the body,problem solved as the fingers had something to stop them sliding around. Good looking shots Robin,I like your eye for street shots.
Damn what a great camera. Why didnt i see that years ago when i was shopping. I have an old canon dslr which i still use. I guess old cameras can still compete with still photos from smartphones but not with video stability
Liked your video, thanks. I don't have the Olympus PEN E-PM1, but I do have the Panasonic GM5, which I love. Also it is 16MP. I'd love them to make an update with a higher res sensor.
I had an E-PM1 which was unfortunately damaged beyond repair, I am considering finding another to use with my BCL lenses for a truly pocketable street setup.
So cool 😀. I keep using my M10 first generation for many things, it blows any smartphone away as well. Whenever I don’t want the M1 III with me, the old little brother does the job perfectly.
Thank you for another informative review. Back in my '80s photo retail days, I respected Olympus but chose Pentax for my personal kit. Now retired, Olympus's Pen series' size and performance appeal to me. Finally, I so value your upbeat and positive presentation style.
Robin, this week I found a PM1 at a pawn shop for 100 US. I thought about it but compared to my PL1 I got a few years ago for almost nothing, I could not justify another camera. The improvement over my PL1 just isn't there so I left it for someone else to get a great deal and join us in photography.
I own a PEN Mini 2 which I purchased refurbished from Olympus. I like the small form factor and it solved some of the gripes of the first version, namely a body grip instead of the smooth body, a touch screen so you can direct control a lot faster (especially since it only has the one back dial), and a 16mp sensor instead of the original 12mp. I liked using it for street, and it can be almost tiny with a body cap lens, but I found its autofocus problematic. Many of my photos would inexplicably come out blurred and grainy in good light where I wouldn't get that on other Oly cameras. I suspect it was an issue with its older IBIS, especially when paired with panny ois lenses. Ultimately, the full PEN and the PEN Lite offered the best examples of what's possible with the smaller PEN form factor. The PM was never that much smaller than the PL and Pen cameras but gave up a lot in utility. It's good to see you review an oldie though :-)
I wonder if the picture samples shown inside the video are straight out from the camera or if you have done any retouching to them. I enjoy watching your video very much.
I have the PM-2. It's great for a vlogger or an instagram user but not for me, who uses it for nature. The autofocus is fast but very, very unaccurate. Nonetheless, it's a pretty good camera that just doesn't fit my needs. It also has the typical IBIS problem that these have. Saving for a new camera right now!
I bought one of these a couple years ago. Here is my experience. The camera underexposes the raw image and boosts the exposure for the jpegs. This helps eliminate highlight clipping but can add noise. I always shot raw and used the histogram for exposure. I could get amazing images out of it. The internal battery or capacitor inside the camera dies and no longer retains the clock. You have to set it every time you turn on the camera or else just forget about the time setting. It doesn't affect the other settings though. Probably the most frustrating issue with it and why I parted company is shutter shock. With my 12-32 and 40-150 lenses, at certain shutter speeds, my images always came out a bit soft. No IS or shutter delay setting would eliminate it. Only putting it on a tripod would give sharp shots. It isn't my hand holding ability. I can hand hold my Nikon N1 S1 and Panasonic GX85 just fine and the S1 had no IS. This was an unfortunate problem for some early MFT cameras due to their small size and light weight. Fortunately the manufactures gave us E-shutter modes in newer models and also shutter mechanisms that produced less shock. These old cameras can be great fun on the cheap but they do have their issues.
I did not encounter any shutter shock issues with 4 or 5 of my Olympus and Panasonic lenses. 12MP should not be too critical. When 16MP or 20MP sensors came about, Olympus rectified this with 0 sec anti-shock (first curtain electronic shutter). For a casual shooting machine, I thought the E-PM1 did really well. Not saying the issue you mentioned did not exist, but maybe there are sample variations?
Over the last year or so I been purchasing older digital cameras. When you buy them, you should be aware of the limitations, but that is part of the fun of using them. Video and focus are the challenges with most of these style cameras. I have a Pentax Q with all the lens, It has been a joy to use and I was really happy with it, even with it's limitations. The best part is just the fun of having a decent camera in a small form factor. I heard the Samsung NX Mini is another great camera as well! Love to see these forgotten cameras get used again.
Samsung cameras do have some interesting concepts, especially the one with android capability built in. Too bad they stopped support for the software/app.
Hi Robin! Thanks for such an interesting video. Yes, the technical characteristics (sharpness, micro-contrast, details, background blur etc) of such a camera’s images are surely and expectedly much better vs any images from any smartphones But many reviewers of cameras often forget one important thing: “Computational Photography”. Flagship smartphones possess highly advanced CP processing aimed at creating highly usable, highly optimized jpegs. Loads of processing to try to increase the chances of hvg a usable image even under unfavourable situations. Eg: If you handhold under low light (totally no support) at 1/8sec a DSLR with 50mm lens or mirrorless with 35mm lens, and compare it to doing the same with an iP13Pro (example), the smartphone’s images would be aggresively processed to make it as attractive as possible while there is no such processing capabilities on mirrorless and DSLRs. Hence, the smartphone cameras are much more forgiving and the CP greatly increases the probability of getting usably attractive images under less than ideal situations. Dont forget,…your smartphone is always with you, but not your camera.
@@robinwong I did not even know the E-PM1 existed before your video. On my OM-D and Pen-F I shoot S-AF+MF with focus peaking…. Works especially well in close-focus situations.
I'm still using a hand me down EPL3 with the same image sensor. The 12MP sensor definitely still produces excellent results in bright daylight. The ISO is the only thing I don't like because it caps out natively at 3200 only. It can go up to 12800 but honestly it's unusable after 6400.
The PM2 has better handling (tiny grip) and sensor (16 MP). Bought a pm1 and a pm2 a couple of years ago so I had a tiny spare camera and so I also could supply my grand kids with a camera when on trips. Both reset date/time when replacing battery and strangely time isn't advanced unless set after each battery shift. I haven't found any description for replacing the capacitor - yet.
Let's not look at EXIF data and please enjoy the photographs. Thanks!
No, give exif data. Just the exif, no image.
I just want to know what lens did you used at 6:29, it's sharp.
@@Durio_zibethinus 17mm f2.8 is my guess.
@@jarihuikari8921 isn't its compression a bit too tight for 17mm?
@@Durio_zibethinus Yeah. Could be 45mm f1.8. I saw 17mm f2.8 in video and supposed it was used in all of the photos.
It's refreshing to see such enthusiasm. Thanks Robin. Also, the camera lacks a viewfinder; which is especially noticeable in bright sunshine.
I remember it like yesterday when this camera was released. I had a chance to review it right when it was fresh and I was impressed. I haven't handled one for ages, but would be nice to try it again some day.
Yeah too bad we are too far from each other, else we could exchange gear for content. That would be amazing
@@robinwong That would be awesome. Who knows, maybe some day in the future😀
Aftermarket rubber grip's for around $10 on ebay. I have one on my Nikon 1 J 4 and will one soon for my e-pm1.
Nice Video Robin...Crisp snaps on a 10 year old Micro-four thirds camera with a 12 Megapixel sensor!...I recall watching a video of Tony Northrup where he claimed that his mobile camera beats a micro-four third sensor camera!...this video and the snaps here put things in the proper perspective.
In broad daylight if you are just focusing on resolution alone, maybe. But in most less than ideal scenarios a proper camera still has the edge. And MFT cameras ARE proper cameras.
Smartphones will eventually make cameras obsolete from a technical point of view. They are already competing strongly in terms of video for vloggers, but they still have ways to go in many scenarios. Computational photography is the inevitable future though.
I still use a Lumix G5 and a Lumix FZ200 bridge. How old are they? - 2012. They can still knock spots off my iPhone. He's talking out of his hat, not for the first time neither.
The FZ200 has that ultra-long fast lens but the G5 is a cuddly old friend. Panasonic got the haptics right with the G5. It's a pity it doesn't have a few of the later toys, I can live without wifi but focus peaking would be nice. One of the issues with the G5 and other older cameras is the LCD/EVF don't have enough pixels to see how good the photos are. Get them onto a computer screen and yeah, she's still got it.
@@XTJ7 no. If you even zoom in to 50% every smartphone image I’ve seen completely falls apart and look like watercolor paintings.
They are designed to take photos viewed on smartphones, and make passable small prints up to 4x6.
The “shot on iPhone” billboards are upscaled using very advanced software, and you’re viewing them from far away usually.
@@joeltunnah Yes and no. I mostly agree with you, but while a 100mp smartphone sensor is clearly not capable of resolving 100mp through that tiny lens and can't even remotely compare to a Fuji GFX 100s for example, it does resolve more details than a 12mp camera, IF the light is ideal. Up the ISO just a tiny bit and it is all falling apart. But under ideal circumstances, some phones can provide more resolution than older cameras. Do the images look better? I would disagree on that, but that is highly subjective. Resolution can be objectively quantified though and in some very specific cases smartphones can be superior.
@@XTJ7 the first time I compared my old Canon SD600 point & shoot (6MP) to my then brand new iPhone 7 (12MP), I realized megapixels were mainly marketing nonsense. Nobody would say the iPhone had more resolution than the little Canon if you printed an 8x10 from both, or zoomed in on the screen.
I think you’re right, it’s because of the tiny lens, but also the smaller sensor area, and heavy noise reduction.
And the SD600 had a superior CCD sensor. Very film like rendering and colors.
Great video! Always enjoy watching the videos you make.
This was my first step into the mirrorless market and you're right, it's still a fun camera to take around out since it's so small and compact.
I still take mines out from time to time with a pancake lens and a viewfinder attachment and it makes a great discrete street shooter.
Thank you for the enjoyable and informative videos! I picked up a Pen Mini years ago as my first MFT camera. Since that time I was able to add another for a VERY low cost. The thing I like most about the Mini is it's small size and ease of carry. I've got more "serious" cameras but the Pen Mini is just one of those cameras that makes you smile.
robin, thanks so much for reminding us that there is a joy in a more minimalist camera that results in artful images. I love clean simple things that often get overlooked by more complex things.
Great video.
It reminds us that basically, any camera produced in the last decade could keep on giving great images, as long as the photographer using it knows its strengths and limitations. And you definitely show that the small and old EPM still packs a lot of punch! That details on the man's face (the slightly watery eye), that was impressive to think that a decade-old camera can pull that details.
I never use EPM but used to have a compact Point n Shoot camera with a similar problem with its smooth body. I use the cheap metal thumb grip and glue a faux leather in the front right side of the camera. It seriously improves the grip and handling of the camera.
This was my first interchangeable lens camera, and still super fun to use, especially with a Panasonic 14mm f2.5 lens. I made a slim front grip from Sugru years ago, made everything much easier. This camera could do almost everything the big boys could, even control a couple of external flashes. It even outlived my E-M5. Battered, beaten, but still going strong.
It's honestly such a cute little camera. Looks about similar in size to my EOS M.
Great but I would pick the Lumix GM1 over this. Even smaller, and it has the next gen. 16 mp sensor.
Can you buy GM1 with a price of a few cup of coffee?
After watching your video, I was intrigued and bought a used Penn Lite E-PL3 body for $68.00, put an Olympus 14-42 pancake lens on it, and went out shooting. I WAS impressed about how this camera that dates to 2011 produced such quality results. It was also interesting to see how its various features and controls ultimately evolved into those I work with on my E-M1 Mk IIs. And its 12 MP sensor provided a lesson about how overblown the hype may have been in the "never enough" MP marketing wars of the past. This $70 camera body produces 12 MP images that are commercially viable for anyone, like myself, shooting for clients who are completely web focused. I won't use it for that but it does make a great pocket carry-around camera for cheap.
I have an E-PM1 and it actually power's up almost instantaneously, a good camera on its day but it's only real advantage over a premium smartphone camera now is it's lens interchangeability, the 12MP sensor isn't the sharpest all round or the best in low light though the colours and white balance are generally good. My main dislikes are lack of built in viewfinder as the screen is difficult to see outdoors, and lack of built in flash. Personally if I was in the market for a second hand pen mini I would pay a little extra coin and get the E-PM2 with the significantly better 16MP sensor.
Love your energy! :)
Let's do this!!!
For me, a compact 20MP camera with a compact pancake-style lens like the PEN Mini would be a perfect walk-around, go-anywhere camera. I too, cannot understand why Olympus isn't making this camera anymore.
Hi Robin, my wife bought me the Pen E-P 1 when it first came out and I have since moved on to more advanced cameras like the Em1 mk3. The E-P 1 eventually led me to m43 instead of full frame Canon - a common story I guess but I still shoot with the E-P 1 for fun occasionally. Thanks for the video I really enjoy being reminded of such key points in my photography experience.
hi, i have this camera myself (bought it years ago when I don't know a lot), and I would like to ask your help on how to know which pancake lens would be suitable for this camera? (in terms of what specs to look for) tqsm.
Hello Robin. Well my PEN Mini arrived today. What a cute little camera. The learning curve sure is strange. I'm so use to buttons on the camera body (E-1,E-30) . Can't wait to get all the menus figured out , though . Again, thankx for showing this cute little camera. KB
EDIT:OH, this PEN Mini replaced my, now retired C5060. KB
Great presentation of yesterday's Olympus tech. Modern Smartphones with their way of spotting tiny sensors will never hold up with the real thing with interchangeable lenses etc. The pictures out of this 12MP sensor look so stunning! It's really not about the pixels but the size and quality of the senor. For example I was a proud owner of the Canon PowerShot S40 back in 2001. This camera only had a 4MP sensor but the pictures had been absolutely stunning, even in low light! I can watch them on a 55 inch screen today and would not be able to tell that these fotos are coming from just a 4MP sensor.
Btw., if you could get your hands on a Samsung NX-Mini to compare it with this Olympus, I think that would be great, too. What do you think?
I had one in brown colour. After two years of usage something damaged inside the camera body and can't be used anymore. I changed it to a mark one E-M10. I'm continously monitoring marketplaces to find a used pm1 in brown colour, but there is no available.
I wonder if you saw the Tony Northrup video where he claimed that a smartphone even beats a full frame Canon R3 with kitlens nowadays. Of course he didn't show the exifs.
Just bought it, added a rubber grip that attaches with a mylar sheet with 3mm adhesive. My Lumix 9mm is going to live on this camera. Great video as usual Robin.
I used 2 ve White Camera & Black 12mm Prime Lens
Hood is mst bcz i dnt want Light on my Lens
Auto Mode wit Manual Aperture
Best 4 Bokeh
The Panasonic GM1 was too small and fiddly for me but I picked up a Pen Lite E-PL5 and am blown away with it. It is a similar size to the Pen Mini and I love the way it handles. Picture quality and colours are lovely. It's a great fun camera. I use it with a Laowa 7.5mm, set focus midway between ininity and 0.5 m, shoot at f/5.6 in Program mode and almost every shot is a good one. A day's shooting is fun.
Red IS (1) is flashing, IBIS is dead on this camera :(
Robin, I got a Y1M1 a few years ago very cheap. Have you ever seen or used one? Came with a 42.5mm f1.8 that I use on my other M43 bodies.
schooo cute! I wish they bring back small, smart and light cameras!
Small cameras for the win
I got one of these a few weeks ago used ($65 CAD), and it still works except for one thing; whenever you swap the battery, it forgets date and time (have to set this every time you change the battery). I'm amazed yours doesn't do this! It retains all the camera settings however, so it's still perfectly usable.
Current camera is EM1 mkiii , plus a collection of lenses. But EP1 looks fun , and could be less risky in certain places.
I have 2
I did have an used E-PM1 for a while but I sold it to a friend. I didn't need it because I have EPL-3 which is almost as small, has articulating screen, better buttons and mode dial.
My other drawback is the battery. By today's standards it is bulky as is the charger, runs out too fast. and requires a standard outlet to recharge. Always carry a fully charged extra battery.
hi robin I recently got a pen mini , and once I take a picture and I click on the playback it won't show it unless I turn off and on the camera , n after I turn it on I press the playback button and it shows , but after I take a picture again it won't let me preview it, is there a setting for it? or my cam is mess up?
The EPM-2 has a small grip on it, and it powers on in less than one second, so that handles two of Robin's objections. I really wish OM Systems would come up with an EPM-3. I would add another dial around the shutter button that would control exposure compensation. That's the dial I use most on my M5 and M10. I would also like it to have the M10's advanced photo features. Now, add a super compact 15 mm f2.2 pancake lens to it, like the inverse retrofocus 35 mm f/2.8 on the Olympus XA, and a flip up back, and it would be the perfect street photography camera.
Great video, great mini camera. Maybe something for my son eventually to get started? :)
I found one on Lazada but it was a thousand plus ringgit. How come you said you get for the price of couple cups of coffee???
Who asked you to find in Lazada?
put the 150-400 lens on the e-pm1 and it would be amazing.
I miss my GM1 :( Why nobody makes small capable cameras anymore
Wow, Why am I watching this video and living poor😊
is it pen mini epm 1 ? or just pen ? the photo looks so sharp. How with pen mini ep1 ?
I have this camera. Do you know if there is a way to make it a webcam?
I LOVE your PASSION... It's AMAZING.
? How is it making phone calls ...
Still using pen mini 2 as my family camera in 2023.
Hi, can I use it for streaming?
I from Malaysia to terbaik ahh Mat...
YO!!!!
I was scrolling down the other videos, and I saw my video I made of the E-PM1 a year ago, and I got 8.7k views.
I love my Olympus E-PL1 and i provide photographic services just putting a good and appropriate lens on it. Thank you for this interesting point of view.
Hi Robin,
Are the jpeg you show coming directly from the E-PM1 or from the last OM workspace application ?
Best wishes
used GM1's are crazy expensive
I bought a Panasonic GF5 a month ago. It's new although it's a 10 year old with a 12 megapixel camera. The photos is outstanding and the processor is fast. I got 1 year warranty by Panasonic Malaysia. Bought it at RM1K. Definetely not the price with a few cups of coffee.
😅😅😅
Hi friend. Thanks for the video! I also have such a camera and I am happy with it. I use manual lenses and am happy with the result!
Today im getting an used E-PM1 and after watching your video i feel it would be a wise decision to get mine as well. Small, compact and concise, and even more pocketable than a E-PL3. It just the essence of what MFT should be. Too bad it doesnt come with touch screen and quite unusable at ASM mode.
I got the E-PM2, I love it so much that I bought another excellent copy used at USD100 (with battery and VF-2). The E-PM2 is amazing. IBIS. 16MP modern E-M5 similar image sensor. Touch screen. I love this camera to death.
Hi Robin, I once used the PEN F 3, little bit bigger than that camera you showed in your video. So I want to tell you a story, believe me it´s true. I was somewhere in Darjeeling, India and in the lodge the Head Lhama provided a ceremony. It was not possible to take a picture of the Lhama, the autofocusbox was circulating around the Lhama, so I did not get any sharp foto!!!
Robin, i picked up an E-PL1, a few months older camera, for almost nothing a few years ago. I could not believe I got an interchangeable lens camera for such a low price. All of my M43 lenses fit and work perfectly with this small body.
we need olympus to do a e-pl11
Thanks for the great content! Can you tell me why we should still buy a micro four third camera since cmos and apsc are similar sizes + the bigger sensors.. For example the Canon m10 or the sony a5100?! Best
I´m even using the Pen e-PL1 and it has better image quality than my Google Pixel 5. Of course the Pixel pictures look great on the little screen due to all of the processing but if I want to process the raws myself the bigger sensor of the PL1 gives me alot better files and adjustability. But that is to be expected. The advantage of the phone is that I´m almost alway carrying it and I get very beautiful pictures without having to do anything.
I love My pen mini. Even though I have an EM1 most of the time I slap on the Panasonic 20mm pancake to the pen mini and go shooting. Small lightweight and way better quality than my iPhone.
I have EP1 and its dial/button configuration is very smart and fast. I still cannot believe how sharp and clean the jpegs are from this camera with 20mm 1.7 and super cheap
bought the similarly sized, aged, and speced GF3 a few years back to act as a backup camera to my GX7s... OK that's not true I bought it for the 14mm pancake lens it came with the camera was just a bonus extra, but it used the same batteries as the GX7 so I traveled around Europe and Japan for months with this as the backup and just to have a different focal length at hand.
still use both the GF3 and GX7's a lot as they are both small and more than up to the job for casual travel photography.
Great video, as always! My ep-3 is my favorite camera. I have an EM-1 also, but the one I grab consistently is the ep-3 because of it's small size, and full instant dial control. I do have the vf-2 evf, and I find that it is essential in bright light. I only wish the ep-3 had an articulating lcd! But the vf-2 allows me to look down for low shots, so it works. I have an ep-1 also, as a backup, but will watch for a great deal on an epm-1.
I actually own it's little sister, E-PL1 - i once needed a cheap backup camera and i could borrow a Lumix 25/1.7(awesome lens btw). I bought E-PL1 for around $50 and it was really great! It's pretty much the cheapest camera with IBIS you can buy.
Your video is really fun to watch. You got new subscriber from Indonesia. 👋🏻
love your videos, I am a 30 years amateur photographer, and I always am looking for cheap good cameras, this is one that I like.
Had a camera similarly smooth in the grip area. I got myself some velcro strips, I stuck a strip of the fluffy/eye velcro on the body,problem solved as the fingers had something to stop them sliding around. Good looking shots Robin,I like your eye for street shots.
You can also buy self adhesive faux leather for camera repairs.
Damn what a great camera. Why didnt i see that years ago when i was shopping. I have an old canon dslr which i still use. I guess old cameras can still compete with still photos from smartphones but not with video stability
Liked your video, thanks. I don't have the Olympus PEN E-PM1, but I do have the Panasonic GM5, which I love. Also it is 16MP. I'd love them to make an update with a higher res sensor.
My first M43 camera :-)
I still have it, but have it converted to full spectrum so I can use it with an IR filter for special effects.
I had an E-PM1 which was unfortunately damaged beyond repair, I am considering finding another to use with my BCL lenses for a truly pocketable street setup.
👎 gr3 good best
Thanks for the awesome video. Instant subscribe for me.
So cool 😀. I keep using my M10 first generation for many things, it blows any smartphone away as well. Whenever I don’t want the M1 III with me, the old little brother does the job perfectly.
E-M10 is a beast. It is as good as the E-M1 cameras minus a few professional features.
Thank you for another informative review. Back in my '80s photo retail days, I respected Olympus but chose Pentax for my personal kit. Now retired, Olympus's Pen series' size and performance appeal to me. Finally, I so value your upbeat and positive presentation style.
7:33 very nice
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
apa kabar!
Спасибо, прекрасный обзор камеры!
Robin, this week I found a PM1 at a pawn shop for 100 US. I thought about it but compared to my PL1 I got a few years ago for almost nothing, I could not justify another camera. The improvement over my PL1 just isn't there so I left it for someone else to get a great deal and join us in photography.
I own a PEN Mini 2 which I purchased refurbished from Olympus. I like the small form factor and it solved some of the gripes of the first version, namely a body grip instead of the smooth body, a touch screen so you can direct control a lot faster (especially since it only has the one back dial), and a 16mp sensor instead of the original 12mp. I liked using it for street, and it can be almost tiny with a body cap lens, but I found its autofocus problematic. Many of my photos would inexplicably come out blurred and grainy in good light where I wouldn't get that on other Oly cameras. I suspect it was an issue with its older IBIS, especially when paired with panny ois lenses. Ultimately, the full PEN and the PEN Lite offered the best examples of what's possible with the smaller PEN form factor. The PM was never that much smaller than the PL and Pen cameras but gave up a lot in utility. It's good to see you review an oldie though :-)
I still have my Samsung EX1 plus some lenses. ( That was a wow)
a5100 its the best cheap small camera bro
Not really. Tried it. Not that good honestly.
I wonder if the picture samples shown inside the video are straight out from the camera or if you have done any retouching to them. I enjoy watching your video very much.
The camera/lens produced some good bokeh.
Hi Robin. Thank you for your Videos. It is always a joy to listen to you! Go on!
I have the PM-2. It's great for a vlogger or an instagram user but not for me, who uses it for nature. The autofocus is fast but very, very unaccurate.
Nonetheless, it's a pretty good camera that just doesn't fit my needs. It also has the typical IBIS problem that these have. Saving for a new camera right now!
If they come out with a new pen most Olympus user would buy one
I bought one of these a couple years ago. Here is my experience. The camera underexposes the raw image and boosts the exposure for the jpegs. This helps eliminate highlight clipping but can add noise. I always shot raw and used the histogram for exposure. I could get amazing images out of it.
The internal battery or capacitor inside the camera dies and no longer retains the clock. You have to set it every time you turn on the camera or else just forget about the time setting. It doesn't affect the other settings though.
Probably the most frustrating issue with it and why I parted company is shutter shock. With my 12-32 and 40-150 lenses, at certain shutter speeds, my images always came out a bit soft. No IS or shutter delay setting would eliminate it. Only putting it on a tripod would give sharp shots. It isn't my hand holding ability. I can hand hold my Nikon N1 S1 and Panasonic GX85 just fine and the S1 had no IS. This was an unfortunate problem for some early MFT cameras due to their small size and light weight. Fortunately the manufactures gave us E-shutter modes in newer models and also shutter mechanisms that produced less shock.
These old cameras can be great fun on the cheap but they do have their issues.
I did not encounter any shutter shock issues with 4 or 5 of my Olympus and Panasonic lenses. 12MP should not be too critical. When 16MP or 20MP sensors came about, Olympus rectified this with 0 sec anti-shock (first curtain electronic shutter).
For a casual shooting machine, I thought the E-PM1 did really well. Not saying the issue you mentioned did not exist, but maybe there are sample variations?
Over the last year or so I been purchasing older digital cameras. When you buy them, you should be aware of the limitations, but that is part of the fun of using them. Video and focus are the challenges with most of these style cameras. I have a Pentax Q with all the lens, It has been a joy to use and I was really happy with it, even with it's limitations. The best part is just the fun of having a decent camera in a small form factor. I heard the Samsung NX Mini is another great camera as well! Love to see these forgotten cameras get used again.
Photojournalist Alex Majoli shot the Iraq war with an Olympus C-5050 (2004). Great photos.
Samsung cameras do have some interesting concepts, especially the one with android capability built in. Too bad they stopped support for the software/app.
Hi Robin! Thanks for such an interesting video.
Yes, the technical characteristics (sharpness, micro-contrast, details, background blur etc) of such a camera’s images are surely and expectedly much better vs any images from any smartphones
But many reviewers of cameras often forget one important thing:
“Computational Photography”.
Flagship smartphones possess highly advanced CP processing aimed at creating highly usable, highly optimized jpegs. Loads of processing to try to increase the chances of hvg a usable image even under unfavourable situations.
Eg: If you handhold under low light (totally no support) at 1/8sec a DSLR with 50mm lens or mirrorless with 35mm lens, and compare it to doing the same with an iP13Pro (example), the smartphone’s images would be aggresively processed to make it as attractive as possible while there is no such processing capabilities on mirrorless and DSLRs.
Hence, the smartphone cameras are much more forgiving and the CP greatly increases the probability of getting usably attractive images under less than ideal situations.
Dont forget,…your smartphone is always with you, but not your camera.
Those cameras are much better than smartphone cameras
I still use my E-PL2… it is perfect for Art Filters, especially Grainy Film.
I have the E-PL1, was not too happy with the AF. The E-PM1 however, is another level.
@@robinwong I did not even know the E-PM1 existed before your video. On my OM-D and Pen-F I shoot S-AF+MF with focus peaking…. Works especially well in close-focus situations.
Great street camera. But you can also change the lenses - nice
Well. Looks like you all need a Fujifilm.
I'm still using a hand me down EPL3 with the same image sensor. The 12MP sensor definitely still produces excellent results in bright daylight. The ISO is the only thing I don't like because it caps out natively at 3200 only. It can go up to 12800 but honestly it's unusable after 6400.
It can't be better than an iPhone. Nothing is better than an iPhone, not even a Hasselblad. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
The PM2 has better handling (tiny grip) and sensor (16 MP).
Bought a pm1 and a pm2 a couple of years ago so I had a tiny spare camera and so I also could supply my grand kids with a camera when on trips.
Both reset date/time when replacing battery and strangely time isn't advanced unless set after each battery shift.
I haven't found any description for replacing the capacitor - yet.
Hey RW! The PEN series got me interested in Olympus.... :)