Differences between the Olympus Pen e-pl9 &. e-pl10?

iKokomo wrote:

I have used an Olympus Pen e-pl1 for years upgraded to an e-pl7 and now (after using it to death) I am looking at upgrading once again.

I love the small form factor/high-quality image that I have gotten out of my e-pl series. I also have a lot of good glass for it.

Therefore, I was wondering if there was any difference between the Olympus Pen e-pl9 vs. e-pl10?

I have researched multiple websites and they say the only difference is a couple of "in-camera editing options" are different. Since I use Adobe LR to edit, I do not care about those features.

Are there any other differences between the e-pl9 vs. e-pl10?

I consulted my Timeline page and found "Slight update on E-PL9. Now has silent shutter available in PASM modes." at http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~parsog/olyepl1/80-Oly-timeline.html#epl10

You will probably love the upcoming e-p7

iKokomo wrote:

I have used an Olympus Pen e-pl1 for years upgraded to an e-pl7 and now (after using it to death) I am looking at upgrading once again.

I love the small form factor/high-quality image that I have gotten out of my e-pl series. I also have a lot of good glass for it.

Therefore, I was wondering if there was any difference between the Olympus Pen e-pl9 vs. e-pl10?

I have researched multiple websites and they say the only difference is a couple of "in-camera editing options" are different. Since I use Adobe LR to edit, I do not care about those features.

Are there any other differences between the e-pl9 vs. e-pl10?

You have had great responses from Guy Parsons and Confusedabit but I'll add my thoughts too...

As they both mentioned, a valuable feature added to the E-PL10 in particular is that the silent shutter facility is available in the PASM modes - it was first introduced to the E-PL range with the E-PL9, but on this model was trapped within a subset of features at the AP "Advanced Photography" position of the mode dial called Silent Mode, which only operates in a full-auto (program-only, but with considerably reduced options and flexiblity compared with normal program mode). That option still exists on the E-PL10 too, but the full availability of silent shutter being available alongside the other shutter options of full mechanical and 0-sec Anti-Shock (i.e. EFCS) in the PASM modes is much more useful.

A further refinement of silent shutter mode in PASM on the E-PL10 is that there exist options to re-enable the use of flash with silent shutter, as well as focus beeps and the AF-assist light (all three can be re-enabled individually and it only needs to be done once unless you want to disable them again later). Whilst other lines of Olympus models introduced silent shutter earlier, these re-enablings only became options fairly recently on models higher up the range, with the Pen-F being the first, followed by the E-M1 II, E-M1 III, E-M1X, E-M5 III and, after the E-PL10, the E-M10 IIIs (not the III) and E-M10 IV. Presumably the forthcoming E-P7 will have these features too.

Compared with your previous E-PL1 and E-PL7, the E-PL9 and 10 reinstate the built-in flash from the E-PL1, but unfortunately both lost compatibility with the add-on EVF units, the VF-2, 3 and 4 (because they no longer have an Accessory Port - so any other Accessory Port-compatible add-ons such as the Macro Arm Light cannot be used either). I mention this in case you have and use any of them.

Whilst the E-PL9 and 10 are physically identical to one another aside from a couple of different options in their body colour choices (and they are broadly similar in design to your E-PL7), they have all-polycarbonate exteriors yet surprisingly, are slightly heavier.

They have the expected advancements in movie mode (not that I am a big user of video modes, so not well-informed there) but both models have far fewer customisation options than previous E-PL models and fewer customisable physical controls (the menus are brutally shortened) so be aware of this. They also have absolutely no custom memories or MySet features whatsoever - again, something to be aware of if you are fond of these on your E-PL7.

The in camera tweaks to art filter an electronic shutter in Pam modes

its really the sane camera with different firmware  I find it obscene to charge the price of a new Canera for hair these features  when the hardware is the same

Isola Verde wrote:

Although poorly explained in its manual, the E-PL8 also offered the EFC route to 0-second anti-shock - but for an otherwise mechanical shutter, so no Silent mode!

From the camera....

And in the specs online...

Very similar to the solution eventually offered for the E-M1 in one of its many firmware updates!

Peter

That's right - I didn't mean to infer that 0-sec Anti-Shock was introduced only with the E-PL9 - but that silent shutter made its (limited) appearance to the E-PL range with the E-PL9.

In fact, the E-PL7 which the OP has been using was the first E-PL to get the 0-second Anti-Shock feature (which is effectively EFCS - though in the case of the E-PL models and the E-M10 models which have it, it's more of a virtual but effective EFCS, as the first curtain does still run but it works as well as real EFCS, at least in single-shot drive mode). The E-PL8 is actually a thorough physical re-skin of the E-PL7, but with around 99% the same software and features (just a slight tweak on the Art Filters and a tiny change to the graphics when in selfie mode, really).

Isola Verde wrote:

Helen wrote:

Isola Verde wrote:

Although poorly explained in its manual, the E-PL8 also offered the EFC route to 0-second anti-shock - but for an otherwise mechanical shutter, so no Silent mode!

From the camera....

And in the specs online...

Very similar to the solution eventually offered for the E-M1 in one of its many firmware updates!

Peter

That's right - I didn't mean to infer that 0-sec Anti-Shock was introduced only with the E-PL9 - but that silent shutter made its (limited) appearance to the E-PL range with the E-PL9.

In fact, the E-PL7 which the OP has been using was the first E-PL to get the 0-second Anti-Shock feature (which is effectively EFCS - though in the case of the E-PL models and the E-M10 models which have it, it's more of a virtual but effective EFCS, as the first curtain does still run but it works as well as real EFCS, at least in single-shot drive mode). The E-PL8 is actually a thorough physical re-skin of the E-PL7, but with around 99% the same software and features (just a slight tweak on the Art Filters and a tiny change to the graphics when in selfie mode, really).

Too late to make any real difference perhaps - but I never have seen any mention by Olympus that the E-PL7 either came with, or got updated to, an EFC system?

Certainly they didn't listed that in its manual, nor in their online specs...

https://asia.olympus-imaging.com/product/dslr/epl7/spec.html

+++

Shutter Type: Computerised focal-plane shutter

Exposure time: 1/4000 to 60 sec. (select from 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV steps)

+++

- but did do so in the PL8 description, as previously posted!

[Maybe someone with a PL7 - the OP even - could check, and confirm one way or the other?]

Peter

Well, I have an E-PL7 myself, so that's why I know - it came with 0-sec Anti-Shock from the start, in fact... Though stylistically, it might have looked more akin to the previous E-PL5/6, it in fact was already the total redesign functionally and internally that carried on almost unchanged in the E-PL8 (despite the external bodywork of the E-PL8 changing so much that it looks rather different from the E-PL7). I have an E-PL8 too (yeah, I'm obsessive...  )

Helen wrote:

[anti-shock]

Well, I have an E-PL7 myself, so that's why I know - it came with 0-sec Anti-Shock from the start, in fact... Though stylistically, it might have looked more akin to the previous E-PL5/6, it in fact was already the total redesign functionally and internally that carried on almost unchanged in the E-PL8 (despite the external bodywork of the E-PL8 changing so much that it looks rather different from the E-PL7). I have an E-PL8 too (yeah, I'm obsessive... )

The history of 0 sec anti-shock seems to be ...

• May 2013 E-M1 Mk1
• Jan 2014 E-M10 Mk1
• May 2014 E-P5 via firmware update, well after initial release May 2013
• Aug 2014 E-PL7
• And all from then on

Derived from my Timeline at http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~parsog/olyepl1/80-Oly-timeline.html

OT - Helen, keep those batteries charged! I found one of my E-PL5 had a flat battery and thus a flat clock battery, I hope it recovers.

Guy Parsons wrote:

Helen wrote:

[anti-shock]

Well, I have an E-PL7 myself, so that's why I know - it came with 0-sec Anti-Shock from the start, in fact... Though stylistically, it might have looked more akin to the previous E-PL5/6, it in fact was already the total redesign functionally and internally that carried on almost unchanged in the E-PL8 (despite the external bodywork of the E-PL8 changing so much that it looks rather different from the E-PL7). I have an E-PL8 too (yeah, I'm obsessive... )

The history of 0 sec anti-shock seems to be ...

• May 2013 E-M1 Mk1
• Jan 2014 E-M10 Mk1
• May 2014 E-P5 via firmware update, well after initial release May 2013
• Aug 2014 E-PL7
• And all from then on

Derived from my Timeline at http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~parsog/olyepl1/80-Oly-timeline.html

OT - Helen, keep those batteries charged! I found one of my E-PL5 had a flat battery and thus a flat clock battery, I hope it recovers.

Good tip - actually, my E-PL7 had too! I'll pop its freshly-charged battery out briefly tomorrow after it's had a few hours in place to find out whether it can hold on to the clock setting (though I'm hopeful as it had retained all the other settings, even before I re-set the time and date).

Helen wrote:

Guy Parsons wrote:

Helen wrote:

[anti-shock]

Well, I have an E-PL7 myself, so that's why I know - it came with 0-sec Anti-Shock from the start, in fact... Though stylistically, it might have looked more akin to the previous E-PL5/6, it in fact was already the total redesign functionally and internally that carried on almost unchanged in the E-PL8 (despite the external bodywork of the E-PL8 changing so much that it looks rather different from the E-PL7). I have an E-PL8 too (yeah, I'm obsessive... )

The history of 0 sec anti-shock seems to be ...

• May 2013 E-M1 Mk1
• Jan 2014 E-M10 Mk1
• May 2014 E-P5 via firmware update, well after initial release May 2013
• Aug 2014 E-PL7
• And all from then on

Derived from my Timeline at http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~parsog/olyepl1/80-Oly-timeline.html

OT - Helen, keep those batteries charged! I found one of my E-PL5 had a flat battery and thus a flat clock battery, I hope it recovers.

Good tip - actually, my E-PL7 had too! I'll pop its freshly-charged battery out briefly tomorrow after it's had a few hours in place to find out whether it can hold on to the clock setting (though I'm hopeful as it had retained all the other settings, even before I re-set the time and date).

The clock circuit depends on its little internal battery or the camera battery, whichever is working. It seems to be about 24 hours for the internal battery to fully recover once it meets a charged camera battery.

The settings would be in some sort of flash memory and that can go for months/years without power, but at some stage it will fade with no power applied.