Olympus Introduces PEN E-P5
The new Olympus PEN E-P5 looks to be a very nice little camera, with most of the good features of its sibling the E-M5 (see my in depth review of the Olympus E-M5).
Electronic viewfinder not built in
For me an EVF is essential. And I daresay this is true for anyone in their mid-40's onward, due to presbyopia.
As shown below, the VF-4 EVF on the E-P5 greatly increases the bulk of the camera, so the built-in 1440K-pixel EVF of the E-M5 makes more sense for me. However, the new 2360K-pixel Olympus VF-4 is a higher resolution device and so for some this might be preferable. One presumes that a future E-M6 would incorporate the higher-resolution EVF.
When the price of the viewfinder (about $279) is added into the $999 cost of the Olympus PEN E-P5, the current Olympus OMD-D E-M5 with its built-in viewfinder at about $949 looks attractive on both a cost and convenience basis.
Still, I’ll have to reserve judgment until I have one in my hands to see the form factor differences and EVF quality side by side.
Olympus E-P5
