Sans Mirror — mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras  

The E-P1 was Olympus's first mirrorless camera, and one of the first cameras to kick off the mirrorless craze. 

• Sensor: 12mp Panasonic CMOS sensor, 17.3 x 13mm (2x crop), sensor stabilization
• Mount: Micro 4/3 (m4/3)
• Images: 4032 x 3024 JPEG or 12-bit ORF maximum, 3 fps max 
• Video:  720P/30, 480P/30 Motion-JPEG file, stereo PCM audio
• Shutter: electronic 60 sec to 1/4,000 sec, bulb
• Exposure: matrix, center-weighted, spot metering, -3 to +3EV exposure compensation, 5 white balance settings (plus Auto and Custom), ISO 100-6400, AUTO ISO
• Focus: 11 point contrast detect, single point, multi-area, face detect, tracking, manual focus override
• Display: 3" 230k dot fixed LCD, no viewfinder
• Flash: GN hot shoe, 1/180 flash sync, red-eye reduction, slow sync, rear sync
• Remote: optional RM-UC1
• Other Notable Features: 
• Cards: SD, SDHC
• Battery: BLS-1
• Size: 4.8 x 2.8 x 1.4" (121 x 70 x 36) wide, tall, deep
• Weight: 12.5 ounces (355g)
• Colors: White, Silver
• Price: US$800 with kit lens at launch 
• Announced: Jun 2009, shipped Jul 2009 (discontinued) 

Note: a competent camera that was pretty sophisticated for a first offering.

Thom's Review of the E-P1

The E-P2 was Olympus's quick follow up to the E-P1, with the primary difference being the addition of an accessory slot that supported options like the optional EVF.  Also gained two Art Filters, AF tracking, and i-Enhance color boost.

• Sensor: 12mp Panasonic CMOS sensor, 17.3 x 13mm (2x crop), sensor stabilization
• Mount: Micro 4/3 (m4/3)
• Images: 4032 x 3024 JPEG or 12-bit ORF maximum, 3 fps max 
• Video:  720P/30, 480P/30 Motion-JPEG file, stereo PCM audio
• Shutter: electronic 60 sec to 1/4,000 sec, bulb
• Exposure: matrix, center-weighted, spot metering, -3 to +3EV exposure compensation, 5 white balance settings (plus Auto and Custom), ISO 100-6400, AUTO ISO
• Focus: 11 point contrast detect, single point, multi-area, face detect, tracking, manual focus override
• Display: 3" 230k dot fixed LCD, optional EVF via accessory slot
• Flash: GN hot shoe, 1/180 flash sync, red-eye reduction, slow sync, rear sync
• Remote: optional RM-UC1
• Other Notable Features: powered accessory slot
• Cards: SD, SDHC
• Battery: BLS-1
• Size: 4.8 x 2.8 x 1.4" (121 x 70 x 36) wide, tall, deep
• Weight: 12.5 ounces (355g)
• Colors: Black
• Price: US$1100 with kit lens and viewfinder at launch 
• Announced: Nov 2009 (discontinued)

Note: The main reason to buy this over the E-P1 was if you wanted to use an EVF with the camera. Otherwise, in terms of image quality and performance, the E-P1 and E-P2 are essentially identical.

Thom's Review of the E-P2

The E-P3 was a full update to the high-end Pen model, with a slight body redesign, new button placements, an integrated flash, the additional of a higher resolution touchsensitive OLED LCD, new movie modes, and a faster autofocus system. Of the high-end Pen models, this would be the preferred camera.

• Sensor: 12mp Panasonic CMOS sensor, 17.3 x 13mm (2x crop), sensor stabilization
• Mount: Micro 4/3 (m4/3)
• Images: 4032 x 3024 JPEG or 12-bit ORF maximum, 3 fps max 
• Video:  1080i/60, 720P/30, 480P/30 AVCHD or AVI file, stereo PCM or AC3 Dolby audio
• Shutter: electronic 60 sec to 1/4,000 sec, bulb
• Exposure: matrix, center-weighted, spot metering, -3 to +3EV exposure compensation, 5 white balance settings (plus Auto and Custom), ISO 100-12800, AUTO ISO
• Focus: 11 point contrast detect, single point, multi-area, face detect, tracking, manual focus override
• Display: 3" 614k dot fixed touchscreen OLED LCD, optional EVF via accessory slot
• Flash: 10m GN pop-up flash, hot shoe, 1/180 flash sync, red-eye reduction, slow sync, rear sync, three-level manual
• Remote: optional RM-UC1
• Other Notable Features: powered accessory slot, interchangeable hand grips
• Cards: SD, SDHC, SDXC
• Battery: BLS-5
• Size: 4.8 x 2.7 x 1.3" (122 x 69 x 34) wide, tall, deep
• Weight: 13 ounces (369g)
• Colors: Black, Silver, White
• Price: US$900 with kit lens
• Announced: Jun 2011, shipped Jul 2011 (discontinued)

Note: In terms of "best" Olympus m4/3 camera, the E-P3 has now been surpassed by the OM-D E-M5. Unfortunately, the E-P# series needs another serious upgrade, as it's fast becoming long in the tooth.

Thom's review of the E-P3

The E-P5 is the fourth generation of the original Olympus m4/3 camera. Basically take an E-P3 body and add the newer OM-D DNA in the sensor and operational ergonomics and you have the E-P5. The E-P5 also adds a couple of new bits: faster autofocus and focus peaking. Note that the E-P5 is not weather sealed like the OM-D E-M5.

• Sensor: 16mp Sony CMOS sensor, 17.3 x 13mm (2x crop), five-axis sensor stabilization
• Mount: Micro 4/3 (m4/3)
• Images:  4608x3456 pixel JPEG or 12-bit ORF maximum, 9 fps max (without IS), 18 frame minimum raw buffer
• Video: 1080P/30 20Mbps AVCHD max .MOV file, also 720P/30, 480P/30, plus Motion-JPEG .AVI file, stereo 48kHz sampled 16-bit PCM audio
• Shutter: mechanical 60 sec to 1/8000 sec, bulb (+1 to 30 minute settings)
• Exposure: matrix, center-weighted, spot metering, -3 to +3EV exposure compensation, 6 white balance settings (plus Preset K's, Auto and Custom), ISO 200-25,600, AUTO ISO
• Focus: 800 point, 35 area contrast detect, single point, multi-area, face detect, tracking, manual focus override
• Display: 3" 1.037m dot tilt touchscreen LCD, optional 2.36m dot VF-4 EVF (.92x magnification, 18mm eyepoint, -4 to +1 diopter correction) 
• Flash: built-in flash (7GN m@100 ISO), hot shoe, 1/320 flash sync with internal flash (otherwise 1/250 or Super FP to 1/4000), red-eye reduction, slow sync, rear sync, three-level manual
• Remote: optional RM-UC1
• Other Notable Features: WiFi, optional accessory slot, interval timer
• Cards: SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS-I, Eye-Fi compatible)
• Battery: BLN-1 (400 shots CIPA)
• Size: 4.8 x 2.7 x 1.5" (122.3 x 69 x 37.2) wide, tall, deep
• Weight: 12.9 ounces (366g) body only
• Colors: Black, Silver, White
• Price: US$1000 body only, US$1450 with 17mm lens and VF-4 EVF
• Announced: May 10th 2013, ships mid June 2013

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The OM-D E-M5 is Olympus' first DSLR-like mirrorless camera, with a built-in EVF and DSLR-style controls in a very small package.

• Sensor: 16mp Sony CMOS sensor, 17.3 x 13mm (2x crop), five-axis sensor stabilization
• Mount: Micro 4/3 (m4/3)
• Images:  4608x3456 pixel JPEG or 12-bit ORF maximum, 9 fps max (without IS), 18 frame minimum raw buffer
• Video: 1080i/60 20Mbps AVCHD max .MOV file, also 720P/60/30, 480P/30, plus Motion-JPEG .AVI file, stereo 48kHz sampled 16-bit PCM audio
• Shutter: mechanical 60 sec to 1/4000 sec, bulb (+1 to 30 minute settings)
• Exposure: matrix, center-weighted, spot metering, -3 to +3EV exposure compensation, 12 white balance settings (plus Preset K's, Auto and Custom), ISO 200-25,600, AUTO ISO
• Focus: 800 point, 35 area contrast detect, single point, multi-area, face detect, tracking, manual focus override
• Display: 3" 610k dot tilt touchscreen LCD, built-in 1.44m dot EVF (1.15x magnification) 
• Flash: included flash (7GN m@100 ISO), hot shoe, 1/200 flash sync with internal flash (otherwise Super FP to 1/4000), red-eye reduction, slow sync, rear sync, three-level manual
• Remote: optional RM-UC1
• Other Notable Features: optional accessory slot, interval timer
• Cards: SD, SDHC, SDXC (UHS-I, Eye-Fi compatible)
• Battery: BLN-1
• Size: 4.8 x 3.5 x 1.7" (122 x 89 x 42) wide, tall, deep
• Weight: 12.9 ounces (370g) body only
• Colors: Black, Silver
• Price: US$1000 body only
• Announced: February 8, 2012

Thom's Review of the OM-D E-M5

Announcement Coverage of the OM-D E-M5

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The E-PL1 was Olympus' first attempt to create a lower end version of the Pen lineup of cameras. It is a slightly simplified version of the E-P1, but adds a pop-up flash.

• Sensor: 12mp Panasonic CMOS sensor, 17.3 x 13mm (2x crop), sensor stabilization
• Mount: Micro 4/3 (m4/3)
• Images: 4032 x 3024 JPEG or 12-bit ORF maximum, 3 fps max 
• Video:  720P/30, 480P/30 Motion-JPEG, stereo audio
• Shutter: electronic 60 sec to 1/2,000 sec, bulb
• Exposure: matrix, center-weighted, spot metering, -3 to +3EV exposure compensation, 5 white balance settings (plus Auto and Custom), ISO 100-6400, AUTO ISO
• Focus: 11 point contrast detect, single point, multi-area, face detect, tracking, manual focus override
• Display: 2.7" 230k dot fixed LCD, optional EVF via accessory slot
• Flash: 7m (ISO 100) GN pop-up flash, hot shoe, 1/160 flash sync, red-eye reduction, slow sync, rear sync, four-level manual, wireless control
• Remote: none
• Other Notable Features: powered accessory slot, no orientation sensor
• Cards: SD, SDHC
• Battery: BLS-1
• Size: 4.5 x 2.8 x 1.7" (115 x 72 x 42mm) wide, tall, deep
• Weight: 10.4 ounces (296g)
• Colors: Black, Silver
• Price: US$600 with kit lens 
• Announced: Feb 2010 (discontinued)

Note: There is also an E-PL1s, which came with a slightly higher capacity battery and a new version of the kit lens, but was mainly only sold in Japan.

Thom's Review of the E-PL1

The E-PL2 was mostly a cosmetic clean-up of the E-PL1, though the accessory slot is slightly different, the LCD is higher resolution, and there are some minor internal tweaks.

• Sensor: 12mp Panasonic CMOS sensor, 17.3 x 13mm (2x crop), sensor stabilization
• Mount: Micro 4/3 (m4/3)
• Images: 4032 x 3024 JPEG or 12-bit ORF maximum, 3 fps max 
• Video:  720P/30, 480P/30 Motion-JPEG, stereo audio
• Shutter: electronic 60 sec to 1/4,000 sec, bulb
• Exposure: matrix, center-weighted, spot metering, -3 to +3EV exposure compensation, 8 white balance settings (plus Auto and Custom), ISO 100-6400, AUTO ISO
• Focus: 11 point contrast detect, single point, multi-area, face detect, tracking, manual focus override
• Display: 3" 460k dot fixed LCD, optional EVF via accessory slot
• Flash: 7m (ISO 100) GN pop-up flash, hot shoe, 1/160 flash sync, red-eye reduction, slow sync, rear sync, four-level manual, wireless control
• Remote: none
• Other Notable Features: powered accessory slot, no orientation sensor
• Cards: SD, SDHC
• Battery: BLS-1
• Size: 4.5 x 2.8 x 1.7" (114 x 72 x 42mm) wide, tall, deep
• Weight: 12.8 ounces (362g)
• Colors: Black, Silver, red
• Price: US$600 with kit lens
• Announced: Jan 2011 (discontinued)

The E-PL3 is the third generation of what is now the mid-line Pen series (sometimes referred to as Pen Lite by Olympus). 

• Sensor: 12mp Panasonic CMOS sensor, 17.3 x 13mm (2x crop), sensor stabilization
• Mount: Micro 4/3 (m4/3)
• Images: 4032 x 3024 JPEG or 12-bit ORF maximum, 5.5 fps max 
• Video:  1080i/60, 720P/30, 480P/30 AVCHD or Motion-JPEG, PCM stereo or Dolby Digital audio
• Shutter: mechanical 60 sec to 1/4,000 sec, bulb
• Exposure: matrix, center-weighted, spot metering, -3 to +3EV exposure compensation, 8 white balance settings (plus Auto and Custom), ISO 100-12800, AUTO ISO
• Focus: 35 point contrast detect, single point, multi-area, face detect, tracking, manual focus override
• Display: 3", 460k dot tilting LCD, optional EVF via accessory slot
• Flash: hot shoe, 1/160 flash sync, red-eye reduction, slow sync, rear sync, four-level manual, wireless control
• Remote: optional RM-UC1
• Other Notable Features: powered accessory slot, no orientation sensor
• Cards: SD, SDHC, SDXC
• Battery: BLS-5
• Size: 4.3 x 2.5 x 1.5" (110 x 64 x 37mm) wide, tall, deep
• Weight: 11 ounces (313g)
• Colors: Black, Silver, White, Red
• Price: US$600 with kit lens
• Announced: Jun 2011 (discontinued)

Note: A solidly capable and relatively compact body. You can often find this camera at steep discounts, making it a better option than picking pup one of the higher-end (and often almost as large) small sensor compacts.

The E-PL5 is the fourth generation of what is now the mid-line Pen series (sometimes referred to as Pen Lite by Olympus). 

• Sensor: 16mp Sony CMOS sensor, 17.3 x 13mm (2x crop), sensor stabilization
• Mount: Micro 4/3 (m4/3)
• Images: 4608 x 3456 JPEG or 12-bit ORF maximum, 8 fps max 
• Video:  1080i/60, 720P/30, 480P/30 AVCHD or Motion-JPEG, PCM stereo or Dolby Digital audio
• Shutter: mechanical 60 sec to 1/4,000 sec, bulb
• Exposure: matrix, center-weighted, spot metering, -3 to +3EV exposure compensation, 8 white balance settings (plus Auto and Custom), ISO 100-12800, AUTO ISO (200-1600)
• Focus: 35 point contrast detect, single point, multi-area, face detect, tracking, manual focus override
• Display: 3", 460k dot tilting (170° up 65° down) touch screen OLED LCD, optional EVF via accessory slot
• Flash: hot shoe, bundled FL-LM1 (7m GN) flash, 1/250 flash sync, red-eye reduction, slow sync, rear sync, four-level manual, wireless control
• Remote: optional RM-UC1
• Other Notable Features: powered accessory slot, no orientation sensor
• Cards: SD, SDHC, SDXC
• Battery: BLS-5
• Size: 4.4 x 2.5 x 1.5" (111 x 64 x 38mm) wide, tall, deep
• Weight: 11.5 ounces (325g)
• Colors: Black, Silver, White (replaceable hand grips can be other colors)
• Price: US$650 body only, 700 with kit lens
• Announced: September 17, 2012

Note: Olympus appears to be moving towards the E-PL series replacing the original E-P cameras. The E-PL5 gets the optional grip from the E-P3, for example, and is gaining the touch screen, as well. Overall, the E-PL5 represents Olympus 2012 mid-range for their m4/3 cameras, allowing options like the external EVF to accessorize it higher over time, while still keeping it in the "small, slightly de-featured" category to distinguish it from the top end. The addition of the 16mp sensor brings the E-PL lineup to current standards, and is highly welcome. This is a competent, small camera, with a lot of customization available to the serious user.

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The E-PM1 is the new low-end model in the Olympus Pen lineup, and sometimes referred to as the Pen Mini.

• Sensor: 12mp Panasonic CMOS sensor, 17.3 x 13mm (2x crop), sensor stabilization
• Mount: Micro 4/3 (m4/3)
• Images: 4032 x 3024 JPEG or 12-bit ORF maximum, 5.5 fps max 
• Video:  1080i/60, 720P/30, 480P/30 AVCHD or Motion-JPEG, PCM stereo or Dolby Digital audio
• Shutter: mechanical 60 sec to 1/4,000 sec, bulb
• Exposure: matrix, center-weighted, spot metering, -3 to +3EV exposure compensation, 8 white balance settings (plus Auto and Custom), ISO 100-12800, AUTO ISO
• Focus: 35 point contrast detect, single point, multi-area, face detect, tracking, manual focus override
• Display: 2.7" 230k dot fixed LCD, optional EVF via accessory slot
• Flash: clip-on FL-LM1 flash included (7m ISO 100 GN), hot shoe, 1/160 flash sync, red-eye reduction, slow sync, rear sync, four-level manual, wireless control
• Remote: optional RM-UC1
• Other Notable Features: powered accessory slot, no orientation sensor
• Cards: SD, SDHC, SDXC
• Battery: BLS-5
• Size: 4.3 x 2.5 x 1.3" (110 x 64 x 34mm) wide, tall, deep
• Weight: 9 ounces (263g)
• Colors: Black, Silver, Pink, Brown, Purple, White
• Price: US$600 with kit lens
• Announced: Jun 2011 (discontinued)

Note: the "PM" designation marked the third camera body style in the Pen series. Targeted at women and others who want a simple, small, but still excellent performing and complete camera. Often found at deep discount.

The E-PM2 is the second generation low-end model in the Olympus Pen lineup, and sometimes referred to as the Pen Mini.

• Sensor: 16mp Sony CMOS sensor, 17.3 x 13mm (2x crop), sensor stabilization
• Mount: Micro 4/3 (m4/3)
• Images: 4032 x 3024 JPEG or 12-bit ORF maximum, 5.5 fps max 
• Video:  1080i/60, 720P/30, 480P/30 AVCHD or Motion-JPEG, PCM stereo or Dolby Digital audio
• Shutter: mechanical 60 sec to 1/4,000 sec, bulb
• Exposure: matrix, center-weighted, spot metering, -3 to +3EV exposure compensation, 8 white balance settings (plus Auto and Custom), ISO 100-12800, AUTO ISO
• Focus: 35 point contrast detect, single point, multi-area, face detect, tracking, manual focus override
• Display: 2.7" 460k dot fixed OLED LCD, optional EVF via accessory slot
• Flash: clip-on FL-LM1 flash included (7m ISO 100 GN), hot shoe, 1/160 flash sync, red-eye reduction, slow sync, rear sync, four-level manual, wireless control
• Remote: optional RM-UC1
• Other Notable Features: powered accessory slot, no orientation sensor
• Cards: SD, SDHC, SDXC
• Battery: BLS-5
• Size: 4.3 x 2.5 x 1.3" (110 x 64 x 34mm) wide, tall, deep
• Weight: 9.5 ounces (269g)
• Colors: Black, Silver, Red, White
• Price: US$550 body only, US$600 with kit lens
• Announced: September 17, 2012

Note: The E-PM2 gets the 16mp Sony sensor and a touch panel. Much of everything else remains the same from the original model.

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