Value & Verdict

Olympus PEN E-PL5 review – Value and Verdict

At first glance, the E-PL5 seems nothing more than a tweak to the E-PL3, but while it may look similar, the E-PL5 feels like a completely different camera underneath.

This is in no small part due to the rather impressive 16.1MP sensor borrowed from the OM-D. While it probably doesn’t beat APS-C rivals, it’s much closer, making the difference negligible and less of a deal-breaker.

Add to that a host of subtle improvements over the E-PL3 and the E-PL5 is now one of the most competent CSCs at this price-point. There’s still room for improvement however – the grip needs to be refined, while the touchscreen interface needs to deliver more functionality.

Sharing many of the characteristics and features of the flagship model, think of the E-PL5 as an OM-D Lite, rather than PEN Lite, ideal for photographers looking for a quality, compact-sized CSC that’ll deliver the goods.