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My latest gadget toy has finally arrived: the Olympus PEN E-PM1 interchangeable-lens micro 4/3 camera. It comes with the standard 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens and a clip on flash. Should you get the twin lens package, it will include the 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6. Well, I figured I would not need that kind of range.

So why another camera?

In case you are wondering, I did not sell my Nikon D700. It is a high performing beast but it is also “scary”. I love taking after-meal photos at cafes/restaurants but I don’t really like the idea of it being in the hands of a waitress. Then there is the part about camwhoring. Not that it is impossible, it just takes too much effort. Imagine lifting 2kg worth of camera and lens just to camwhore.

With the battery grip screwed in, the D700 is one bulky and tough cookie. Sometimes, I’m just too lazy to lug it around and would prefer a palm-sized camera in hand. The Olympus PEN E-PM1 is all of that and more: gorgeous, small and takes pretty photos.

This is the bare set, straight from the box. One of the things which makes the E-PM1 so attractive is that you are able to dress it, there is no one definite look to your camera. I have ordered a leather skin from Aki Asahi and it should arrive real soon.

To give an accurate rundown of the performance of the E-PM1, the photos were unedited and straight out of the camera. Shot in the Aperture-Priority mode with the ISO capped at 800.

For the more creative ones who want more than just photographing a scene, the E-PM1 has the Art mode. There are 6 art filters to choose from: (Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Dramatic Tone). Only 2 of them will be featured in this post.

Grainy Film: For the nostalgic and B/W lovers, this is one filter which you will like. Oh yes, that’s my D700 on the table!

Diorama in short refers to a miniature model and that is exactly what it has turned this photo into. Don’t you think the cars here look somewhat shrink-ed?

My neighborhood carpark in bright day light. Most compacts will fare pretty well here, the E-PM1 is no exception.

There were some exotic Chinese New Year stuff on sale at the Vivocity exhibition area. Even in a shopping center setting, it fares pretty well.

Guess what I saw after parking the Picnic? A lovely and adorable cat comfortably sleeping inside a plant pot. Unfortunately, it was not there when I was about to drive off.

I was at East Coast road for the famous 328 Katong Laksa, and the E-PM1 certainly impressed me with its performance here. It was nearing night and yet it was still able to do a good job of capturing the scene. Yes, the girl was checking out my gorgeous looking PEN.

Also great for taking photos of food, something my current DSLR setup can’t do without investing in another lens. This was the bowl of Laksa I had, are you hungry already?

The biggest and most difficult test yet: my partner taking a photo while inside the Picnic at night. You be the judge on how it did.

Check out the bokeh in this photo of the Volkswagen Beetle toy car. As long as you are able to control the aperture unlike in most compacts today, you are almost sure to be able to get one in your shots.

While camwhoring, you need not hold the camera by the sides and keep your fingers away from the front. Due to the lens’ position, you can simply hold any part of the camera and not get your fingers into the photo.

Despite how satisfied I am with the image quality of the E-PM1, I do have a couple of things I didn’t like too:

The Bad

File management could be better, especially with regards to erasing photos. There is no way for a selective bulk delete, I need to either erase one by one or format the entire SD card. This area certainly needs improvement.

Once you have magnified the photo, you will only see a part of it. To view the unseen area, it is not an intuitive step of just pressing the up/down button. You have got to press the info button and then select the respective directional buttons with the current zoom level maintained. Rather nagging process I would say.

Olympus seriously needs to look into their menu management. It seems a little draggy to do simple things like changing the ISO and aperture/shutter speed values, the higher end models have it better though. Granted that there are 2 customizable shortcut buttons, it is not enough.

Other than all that, the E-PM1 is a great camera for compact users looking to upgrade or those who want a stylish looking camera with pretty good image quality. I will definitely be bringing it out quite often but in no way will I abandon my D700, I might even consider bringing both.