Olympus Digital Pen Mini E-PM1: Affordable and Surprisingly Capable Street Camera

It was a year ago, almost to the day, that Olympus invited me and a small group of camera critics to test out their claims that their newest and smallest interchangeable-lens compact, the E-PM1 (also known as the Olympus Pen Mini) was king of shutter responsiveness. Fast autofocus and technical guts built for speed resulted in DSLR-level shutter lag, they said.

To prove their point, they had us test the camera at the U.S. Open. And indeed, as I wrote in my test results, the camera delivered a surprisingly action-stopping, split-second timing, shutter lag-free performance. But besides shooting the courtside action, I also managed to sneak in some street photography while walking through the grounds in Flushing Meadows.
 

U.S. Open, Flushing Meadow, New York. Photo © 2011 by Mason Resnick. Olympus E-PM1 with 14-42mm kit lens, Olympus Electronic Viewfinder VF-2.

Last week, while vacationing in the Boston area, after the battery on an Olympus OM-D that I'm testing for Adorama crapped out (not the camera's fault: I'd been shooting like a maniac, pushing that camera to its limits all day), I pulled out my backup camera: the Olympus Pen Mini, to do some street shooting. Most of the photos were taken in Harvard Square, in Cambridge, with the 14-42mm kit lens. I kept it at 14mm (which is the 35mm equivalent of 28mm) and mounted a 28mm optical viewfinder on the flash mount for framing purposes, since the camera lacks an eye-level viewfinder.

I'll share some of the photos is shot with that setup this week, but the bottom line for street shooters? Image quality at ISO 800 was very good, and while operating manual exposure control is a bit more menu driven in this camera, it is fast enough for street photography and at $399 it is a great option if your budget is limited.

Read my review of the Olympus E-PM1 at the Adorama Learning Center. And if this has convinced you to buy the E-PM1, please help support this site by clicking on the following links to buy it and recommended accessories from Adorama. This site is an Adorama Affiliate, and I get a small commission for each sale generated this way, which justifies my time putting this thing together. Thanks!

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• Olympus E-PM1 with 14-42mm kit lens, Black
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