Olympus' replacement for the 2-year-old PEN E-PL5 may look similar to its predecessor, but Olympus made a lot of significant changes for the E-PL7, mostly to incorporate newer technology that's since debuted in its OM-D line of interchangeable-lens cameras.

With its flexible display; great set of controls and generally streamlined design; the Olympus PEN E-PL7 hits quite a few high notes

It might be a little too complicated for newbies; and the grip could be bigger

Olympus continues its charge as one of the leaders in the ILC (interchangeable lens camera) market with the incredibly compact and surprisingly powerful E-PL7. The newest addition to the Pen Lite collection gives us a compact classic rangefinder look and feel with the all of the great features that...

iAuto shooting mode is accurate and easy in all situations; Camera produces excellent overall image quality; Very compact and lightweight; easy to carry and operate; 3-axis IS is very handy and effective; High Res 3.0-inch LCD is great for shooting and viewing images; Screen tilts a full 180° for...

No built-in flash; Possible to forget external unit at home, No built-in OVF/EVF, although there is an optional EVF, Occasionally iAuto produced unreliable exposures with face detection

Much of the rest of the E-PL7 is familiar - it's based on a familiar sensor and the TruePic VII processor that offers very similar results to the chip used in the existing model. However, our early testing suggests the shutter shake isn't nearly as prominent as it had been on existing PEN models.

The new Pen E-PL7 doesn't introduce anything fundamentally different or novel; there's a screen that flips down (yes, down rather than up) through 180 degrees to facilitate selfies for example, and a couple of new Art Filters: Vintage and Partial Colour.

One mighty PEN.

As a camera, it feels absolutely solid and well-built. It isn't light or plasticky at all. As soon as I held it in my hand, it felt like I was holding a pro-grade camera. I bought it primarily to do video shooting, and while not spectacular, it does the job well.

I'm using E-PL7 for few weeks now and didn't want to write review before I used it for some time. I payed it $480 (body only), what is very good price compared to E-M10 which costs $774 (body only). I still don't understand why so much difference in price between Olympus models in some countries.

The Olympus E-PL7 is a 16-megapixel compact system camera with a Micro Four Thirds sensor. It's the smaller, cheaper, more stylish alternative to the company's very popular OM-D cameras.

Great sensor performance; Charming retro design; Decent touchscreen

Underwhelming video capture; Not ideal for bigger hands; Odd tilt-under screen

With fun features such as a "selfie screen", pared down controls and a user-friendly interface, the Olympus PEN E-PL7 is primarily aimed at point-and-shoot users. However, experienced photographers can find plenty of depth to keep their interest, with enough manual control to feel serious, and with...

Looks great; excellent touchscreen; improved handling; Wi-Fi works a treat; selfie screen if you fancy it

Incremental improvements for the series; detail lacks at high-ISO settings; Auto ISO has limited use

What a gem! Beautifully made, and once you have set it up so that you can access the 'Super Control Panel' it becomes an OM-D, just without the viewfinder. In fact it is more capable than my EM5 in several respects.