The Olympus Pen EP-7 is pretty good

I've recently bought a Pen EP-7 and been playing with it. In-depth reviews of this camera were quite rare when I was doing my research, probably because it's not released in the States. I think it's quite unfair that many people seemed to have problems with it even when they haven't even tried it. So I guess I write a review here to give some perspective on the E-P7.

Let me talk a bit about my reason for buying the E-P7. I mainly do street photography as a hobby, and I shot most things with an EM1 II and a Ricoh GR III for a while. The EM1 is a tad big for street for a small woman like me. The Ricoh is fantastic but I miss the ability to change lenses. I have moved to Chicago from a much safer and more laid-back city, and I've suffered much exhaustion from work, so I started looking for a compact MFT camera, like a Ricoh with interchangeable lenses that allows me to relax and snap. My criteria are: (1) small - I don't want anything too noticeable (so Pen F is out of the question for being too gorgeous); (2) good IBIS - my hands shake a lot (so Panasonic cameras are out of the question too); (3) not too bad resolution - I prefer the 2x3 aspect to the native 3x4 so I crop often. Also I want to be able to crop when I'm too tired to cross the street and go another 3 blocks to get a photo of this cool-looking dude who probably would punch me or wouldn't be there anymore by the time I get close enough.

In short, I want a something laid-back, capable with minimal fuss. Those criteria left me with the EM10's and the Pens. I think the newer models are a bit expensive and don't really satisfy all my preferences so I waited for deals. The Pen PLs are small but a bit pricey for what they are. I kept looking at the EM10s and wished they were a bit smaller, like I can do with an EM10 IV minus the evf haha. Then boom, I came across the E-P7 for $600. Wish granted

It's a handsome little camera. In the places I usually go to, gorgeous things like the Pen-F do more harm then good to both photo quality and my well being. But the E-P7 is just nice looking without being too flashy. It feels solid and has a good grip. No the grip is not metal, but I don't want my fingers to fall off holding a camera in the Chicago winter anyway. The dials make sense. I read in some reviews that they're a bit cluttered and the on/off switch can be accidentally turned, but that's not the case for me (may be because I don't have large hands?). I can operate most things with one hand as long as I don't need to fuss with the touch screen.

I don't find the lack of evf/ovf a big problem. I've been doing fine with the Ricoh. Even with the EM1 I don't use the evf that often. Focusing with the touch screen is accurate and convenient . I agree it's a bit tough in many situation and many people are bitter at Olympus for it, but I imagine many are fine with it. I travel alone a lot and got picked on quite a few times. In a lot of places it's just not safe to stick my face into a camera and forget about what can come from behind me.

Image quality is great, as expected from this sensor. I like the jpegs but I shoot raw as a habit so I can't comment much on jpeg quality. IBIS works very well. Yesterday I was holding a big Amazon package on the way home from the locker with one hand and snapping whatever I see with the 45mm f1.8 in the other hand, and photos are sharp (although it was in good light and the shutter speed was fast anyway). I also used it indoor, forgot to raise ISO as I always do, and still got good shots at low shutter speed. S-AF is fast and reliable. I tried shooting a pigeon with C-AF the other day. It was far worse than my EM1 so I guess I won't bother with C-AF, although some people say it work for limited purpose. Face detection works great. It can recognize faces in profile.

The more advanced shooting features like bracketing and HDR are grouped in the AP mode which is quite neat. The color/monochrome switch is something I didn't know I want in this life time. Customizability is limited. You can only customize the video button and the AEL/AFL button. For my purpose it's enough. I set the video button to focus peaking and the AEL/AFL to manual focus.

In general I think the E-P7 is awesome. It's pretty, small, simple, and capable. When it was first released the price looked ridiculous next to the EM10 IV, but now I think they're about the same price already. With a small lens it fits in my winter coat pocket. It wouldn't fit in my hoodie pocket but I always have at least a small waist bag for little woman things that the E-P7 can easily snug in. It allows me to relax and have fun instead of giving too much thought about settings and features. Bright sunlight without evf? It's fine I'll just shoot blind and get surprised by the photo later. I'd be stoked if Olympus can stick a viewfinder in this camera, but this is a compromise I'm happy to make. To be honest I can compromise even more to bring it to the size of the Panasonic GM5, but IBIS is something I can't exist without, so the E-P7 is really the sweet spot for me.

Here are some sample photos. I don't pixel peep so forgive me if I don't do this camera justice. I also reduced the sharpness in post.

I shot this blind. It was very bright and the sun was glaring into my face.

@Raist3d: Yes I'm aware of your reviews. They helped me a lot when I was doing research. Thank you so much!

I agree that the EM10 IV is equally great, if not better because of the evf. I would have got it if I didn't come across this E-P7 for basically the same price. It's too pretty so I fell for it haha. Also I'm a small person. My EM1 looks gigantic on me (at least that's how I view myself), so when I downsized I went all the way through. I guess my point is that the E-P7 deserves much better recognition and more people should give it a try.

I agree on the shutter lol. It's so loud. I guess they want it that way? It may sound cool to some people

Yes I hope the OM-1 tech trickles down to the more compact cameras as well. I think live ND would be really nice to have, along with handheld high res.

Very nice pictures.  Better composed then many street picts.. Chicago, I'm sorry.

John

kcdogger wrote:

Very nice pictures. Better composed then many street picts.. Chicago, I'm sorry.

John

Thanks, John! To be honest I find Chicago much more fun and interesting than my old city, but yeah people are also more alert and aggressive. No place is perfect haha

I got mine from the Kamerastore website. They're based in Finland I believe. They have very good customer service. Did you have to pay any duty for the Amazon Japan purchase?

I haven't used any other pens actually so I can't say anything on how the E-P7 compares. Good to know! And yes I wished the E-P7 came in black. No idea why they didn't do that. It was released in a very different market from here so... who knows?:-|

Completely agree with you on the sensor. They kept the em10 and pen lines from 20MP for too long. Even E-PL10 only has 16MP now. I'm not someone who chases after megapixels but c'mon they could have done much better.

Small and elegant 

I have and like this one as well. But thinking about small primes for it.

I have 14-42ez, om20mm and o45 1.8.

I would like something small bright and wide. O12mm or the new Leica 9mm. And also lumix 20mm for the size in my working bag, but then i would have 2x20mm.

BIG problems 😀

Hakana wrote:

I have and like this one as well. But thinking about small primes for it.

I have 14-42ez, om20mm and o45 1.8.

I would like something small bright and wide. O12mm or the new Leica 9mm. And also lumix 20mm for the size in my working bag, but then i would have 2x20mm.

BIG problems 😀

I would suggest Pana 15mm. Looks better than Oly 17mm 1.8.

uniball wrote:

I just spent $650 with Amazon Japan. Received it last night.
Thanks to this thread.
I also needed IBIS. Probably will edge out my default GM1. First Oly.

So far, I have a grin on my face.

I'd already moved on from GM1 to GF7 and GX800 - but, for the P7's advantages at minimal extra weight and size, am now rarely using either of those!

With so many features in common, the P7 pairs very nicely with the E-M10 MkIV - and I really can't see my GX80 and GX9 getting much use in future?

Indeed, seeing how "used" stocks at most dealers are declining in the face of summer demand, time for a clear out - though I'll probably keep the old GX7, partly because it's almost worthless, but also because it's the ideal fit for my hands!

Peter

Love my E-P7, wouldn't trade it for the Pen F I use to have.  No I didn't sell it directly for the E-P7, I bought it instead of buying another Pen F When I took a Fuji X100v detour.

The E-P7 is more responsive, I prefer the tilt screen, and the interface for the advance features that I actually use are easier to use.

Raist3d wrote:

alan brown wrote:

I would have jumped on this camera but for two reasons: not available in black and the inability to use my vf-4 on it. Doesn't make sense for me then. But nice camera for many.

It's refreshing to read someone that sees the camera is not for them but understands may work for others

The EP7 is the smallest m43rds camera with 5-axis IBIS.

.... and wonderfully lightweight!

Peter

Isola Verde wrote:

uniball wrote:

I just spent $650 with Amazon Japan. Received it last night.
Thanks to this thread.
I also needed IBIS. Probably will edge out my default GM1. First Oly.

So far, I have a grin on my face.

I'd already moved on from GM1 to GF7 and GX800 - but, for the P7's advantages at minimal extra weight and size, am now rarely using either of those!

With so many features in common, the P7 pairs very nicely with the E-M10 MkIV - and I really can't see my GX80 and GX9 getting much use in future?

Indeed, seeing how "used" stocks at most dealers are declining in the face of summer demand, time for a clear out - though I'll probably keep the old GX7, partly because it's almost worthless, but also because it's the ideal fit for my hands!

Peter

I am same as you.

From GM1 to GX9 to E-P7.

It pair well with my E-M5 iii. I could use them spontaneously  without “adjusting” my mind. 
Although missing a EVF is definitely affecting daily use, I  think E-P7 is the minimal size and weight if you want a ILC camera with IBIS. So, I have no regret buying this.

Raist3d wrote:

alan brown wrote:

I would have jumped on this camera but for two reasons: not available in black and the inability to use my vf-4 on it. Doesn't make sense for me then. But nice camera for many.

It's refreshing to read someone that sees the camera is not for them but understands may work for others

The EP7 is the smallest m43rds camera with 5-axis IBIS.

It’s sad to see that many of the user will give up buying E-P7 because of no EVF. 
I admit that without EVF will affect the use in some occasion (strong sunshine). But I think it’s a sacrifice that worth for buying a compact, beautiful, easy to use camera.