The Olympus PEN E-PL10 remains a compact and quality performer, and is now available worldwide
(Image credit: Olympus)
UPDATE:Olympus has now launched the PEN E-PL10 in North America and Australia. The camera was previously only available in Europe. The body only price will be $599.99 USD and $779.99 CAD, and the kit cost with M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ Len is $699.99 USD and $899.99 CAD. Australian pricing is not yet known.
You can read our full Olympus PEN E-PL10 review for our verdict on this brilliant new body that's ideal for travel and street photography, as well as blogging, vlogging and content creation.
ORIGINAL STORY: Olympus has been busy today, announcing not one but two new cameras – including the Olympus PEN E-PL10, the newest entry in the company's fashionista-focused line of blogging cameras.
With the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III grabbing all the headlines, the Olympus PEN E-PL10 has snuck in under the radar – likely because it offers very little that's new over last year's model, other than some refinements to both fashion and function.
As far as the PEN E-PL line goes, though, it's very much a case of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. The cameras are perennially popular among style-conscious bloggers – particularly fashion, food, lifestyle and travel writers – thanks to their ultra-compact size and great performance.
The Olympus PEN E-PL10 features the same 16MP sensor, 4K video at 30fps (with frame grab, to extract still images), 8.6fps continuous shooting and 3.5 stops of in-body stabilization as the Olympus PEN E-PL9.
The only real change seems to be to the Art Filter functions. These Instagram-style filters have long been a favorite feature on Olympus cameras, but the issue was always that you couldn't control how strong the effect was – meaning that some filters could be more than a little aggressive.
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In the all-important style stakes, the E-PL10 ditches the classic black-and-silver option and now comes in a very sleek 'Batmobile' black, along with the same white and brown options as last year's version.
The E-PL10 adds a very welcome Fine Tune option to Art Filters, so you can dial them down to make effects more subtle. Though it's disappointing that we don't, as is typically the case, get an all-new filter, leaving the total at 16.
Still, the camera retains all the ease and accessibility that has made it an evergreen performer among casual and entry level photographers – including the Advanced Photo mode, which automates intricate features such as multiple exposure and Live Composite to enable everybody to use them.
Olympus tells us that the E-PL9 will continue to be sold alongside the E-PL10, which will be available at retailers in late November (and through special online channels, in some territories).
The camera will be available body only for £549, as well as the familiar kit with the M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ Pancake zoom lens (a combo that's "lighter than a 500ml bottle of water") for £649. Availability and pricing have yet to be announced in US and Australia.
The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera Magazine, PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine, Digital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show. He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.
