Olympus PEN E-PL5

usability, portability, performance, size, image quality

98% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

usability, performance, portability, image quality, price

viewfinder, exposure

95% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

usability, price, portability, performance, screen

67% of the reviews on Amazon.ca give this product a positive rating.

Tilting screen ; OM-D sensor ; Large lens range

Not an articulating screen

Olympus has refreshed its PEN lineup of compact system cameras, with two new introductions to sit in the middle and at the bottom of the lineup.

Sophisticated design ; Tilting touch-screen ; Anti shake built into camera

Small backplate buttons ; Plasticky kit lens ; Lacks convincing grip

Great image quality as per OM-D E-M5, decent build quality, useful Art Filters, touchscreen, full range of Micro Four Thirds lenses

Flash is hotshoe-mounted only (not necessarily a problem), plastic grip looks a bit cheap, continuous autofocus still not quite there, ISO 200 minimum

The E-PL5 may at first seem like a small series of steady improvements rolled into the one camera and, in some respects, that's all it is. But the combination of these subtleties merges into one much greater whole than any E-PL model before it.

The Olympus E-PL5 is a camera you should hold in your hands before making a buying decision. If it passes your personal ergonomics test, then the performance is sure to please. Excellent image quality combined with fast autofocusing and an impressive 8...

We enjoyed the ability to fire the shutter with a satisfying clunk by tapping where your subject appears on screen. Plus with Art Filter effects that are fun and effective, and warm, bold colours delivered almost on default, apart from a few niggles...

Starter option with sophisticated design, tilting touchscreen LCD screen aids visibility and makes for intuitive use, dedicated video record button falls readily under the thumb, image stabilisation built into camera body rather than lens

Small backplate buttons, but criticism otherwise similar to that of its E-PL3 predecessor, namely we miss the integral flash and handgrip of the E-PL2, and bemoan the plastic-y clip-on flash, plastic-y clip on grip and plastic-y kit lens provided in lieu

We enjoyed the ability to fire the shutter with a satisfying clunk by tapping where your subject appears on screen. Plus with Art Filter effects that are fun and effective, and warm, bold colours delivered almost on default, apart from a few niggles...

Focusing ; Screen ; In-camera filters

Won't know until we test it

Olympus has given the new version of the PEN Lite a handgrip to make it a little more comfortable to use. It has also improved the screen and the in-camera filters and focusing, making the E-PL5 a better offering than the E-PL3 that it replaces.

Both cameras performed well and gave us crisp, focused photos. We were finding it difficult to justify the $100 to spring for the E-PL5 over the E-PM2. But then we started tilting the screen out to review photos or framing the best angle for a shot,...