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The E-P3 is the newest MFT compact camera made by Olympus. It offers 12 MP resolution, a very stylish retro design and Full HD video capabilities. Compared to the E-P2 the new camera has a new image processor system and a brilliant OLED monitor on the back.

TIPA Camera Test Online: Olympus E-P3

By TIPA

Cameras

03 October 2011 12:00

The E-P3 is the latest compact system camera from Olympus. It offers a 12 MP resolution, a very stylish retro design and Full HD video capabilities. Compared to the E-P2 the E-P3 new camera has a new image processor system and a brilliant OLED monitor on the back.

Comments on Handling

The new E-P3 is the follower of the E-P2 and E-P1 which were the first Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras which were offered as “retro style cameras”. The E-P3 offers the same image sensor as the E-P2 which has a nominal resolution of  12 MP. But the E-P3 uses a newly developed image processor unit called “TruePic VI” and also offers some enhancements for the AF-speed. The automatic focusing system is really fast and showed a very good performance during our test. In addition it has some special modes like “AF tracking mode” which will help photographers and videographers.

The camera has a brilliant and high quality OLED screen on the back. This monitor offers a resolution of 610000 RGB dots and shows very crisp images with high contrast. Nevertheless a ELV would be fine in scenes with very bright light conditions. Olympus offers a new ELV as an option - the VF-2. The ELV will be mounted on the accessory shoe and the additional “Accessory Port 2” right below. The photographer can use this port for an additional microphone which helps to record higher sound quality when shooting videos.

The camera uses a standard 4 way cursor field on the back which also has a dial to change image parameters or menu settings. And it offers a metallic drum/cylinder on the back which is used a setup dial. This allows a very fast and intuitive handling. The mode dial on the top makes it possible to use all standard exposure modes, 24 scene modes including settings for “High Key” and “Low Key”, and the ART mode which allows you to use creative image effects like “Diorama”, “Pop Art” or “Soft Focus” for instance.

The Olympus E-P3 can take Full HD videos in AVCHD format, but offers only 30 frames per second (60i) which is used for US TV standards or internet videos. For European TV standards a mode with 25 frames per second (50i) would be better.


Test shots


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The model shot which was taken in P-mode is a little under exposed, but shows very natural looking reproduction of our model scene. The bright background is a little to dark and therefore also a little bluish.


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This shot shows a sharp reproduction of the standard testbox, which is really rich in detail. Just like all test shots this image was taken with the cheap kit lens system.


Comments on Image Quality

Colour:
The white balance system of the camera showed a tendency into more bluish colours. This effect increases in the darker colours, while brighter colours show a more neutral behavior. The reproduction of skintones is characterized by a high rate of magenta colours, which caused some pink tones in some shadow areas on the face of the model.

The average setting is a little higher than in images taken with other Olympus cameras but still on a very good level. Altogether the camera offers very natural and realistic colours.

Sharpness:
The camera showed a very good performance in the resolution tests. Even with the cheap kit lens (14-42mm) which was used for the tests the resolution in the center of the image is 2691 lines per picture height which is a very good result for a camera with a nominal resolution of 3.024 lines per picture height.

You will notice the good reproduction of image detail in the eyes of our model and the hair structure which is nearly free of Moiré effects.

The differentiation of red colours also is very good as you will notice in the red spool in the standard testbox. The test shot shows that the USM filtering of the new TruePic VI processor is very unobtrusive and only emphasizes the lens and sensor sharpness in a very good way.

Noise:
The camera offers clean and smooth images up to ISO 1600. In images taken with ISO 3200 some colour clouds/colour smear is visible in the gray patterns of the Stouffer 4110 test chart. The luminance noise stays under 1.0 up to ISO 3200 and remains very decent even in higher ISO speed settings. Images taken with ISO 6400 are usable, while pictures taken with ISO 12800 show clearly noticeable and annoying colour noise.

In lower ISO speed settings up to ISO 400 the camera showed a good performance in our tests of the dynamic range (10.4 f-stops maximum). It is still nearly 10 f-stops in ISO 800 but will decline in higher ISO speed settings and drop down below 8 f-stops in images taken with ISO 6400 or higher.


Opinion

Pros:
     + elegant and stylish camera in retro design
     + brilliant OLED display
     + robust body
     + fast AF system
     + Full HD video in AVCHD format

Cons:
     - missing swivel monitor
    - electronic view finder only optional
    - video with 30 frames per second (US TV standard) instead of 25 frames per second (European TV standard)


To download the PDF specifications sheet for the Olympus E-P3, click HERE.


About TIPA

The Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) is a non-profit oranisation made up of a worldwide family of independent photo & imaging magazines with the most expert editors.

TIPA uses BetterNet GmbH in Heidelberg, Germany to perform routine digital camera tests based on an independent and objective testing method. The TIPA sponsored tests range from small compact cameras to popular DSLRs and even up to high-tech medium format models.

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