The Olympus PEN E PL6 is among their best devices to date. Although an improved version is already on the market, the PL6 is still in production, mainly because it offers great value for money. While the new PL7 is designed to solve most of the issues noted in the PL6, it is a lot more expensive. The E PL6 camera is not meant for serious photographers but boasts great specs for its price range. This Olympus PEN E PL6 review will provide you with a general overview of the product and will offer you useful recommendations.
General Specifications
This camera is designed with a focus on quality and detail. Here are the specifications of the device:
Type: Digital camera
Resolution: 16 MP
ISO: 100 – 25,600
Shutter Speed: 1/4000 of a second
Continuous Shooting Rate: 8 frames per second
Size: 111 x 64 x 38 mm
Weight: 0.72 pounds
Media Storage: SD cards of up to 64 GB
Pricing Options:
- New on Amazon: $885.00
- Used on Amazon: $320.00
Your purchase will include long-lasting Lithium ion batteries, cables, straps, camera chargers, and adapters.
Key Features
The best feature of the Olympus PEN E PL6 is the great picture detail and quality. This is made possible by the 16 megapixel MOS sensor that is used in the making of the camera. It is also designed with a TruePic VI processing engine, which further improves the quality of images produced. The camera uses the standard zoom lenses. It is one of the best devices you can use in low light scenes.
The camera has a highly sensitive touch screen that can be used to operate the device. Videos shot with this device are all full HD and are shot at 8 frames per second. Although this camera has no internal memory, it can support external SD cards of up to 64 GB.
Another important feature is the Micro Four Thirds mount used in its construction. This mount allows great versatility – you can use more than 80 lenses with it!
Image Quality and Performance
The Olympus PEN E PL6 digital camera was designed for high-quality casual photography and includes lots of features that improve performance. It has a rotating dial that can be used to adjust the aperture and shutter speed, therefore, changing the exposure compensation.
New users will experience some trouble navigating the menu and settings. The settings have to be adjusted if you want to take exceptional pictures. For a start, you can enable the Super Control Panel and change the settings without having to go through the main menu.
It has a 16-megapixel resolution, and this is enough to deliver very clear full-color images. The sensor used on this camera is similar to that used on the Olympus OMD EM-5. One main difference between the two is that the PEN E PL6 is smaller. It is one of the few cameras that can take high-quality pictures in dimly lit environments. This is because the manufacturer employed the AF Illuminator technology in its design.
The autofocus functionality of this camera is quite fast. It uses 35 focus points, in addition to the Face and Eye Detection settings available. However, it does not come with an AF center function or with a built-in flash; if these are important to you, you might want to look over our Olympus OM-D E-M10 review.
Design and Controls
The Olympus PEN E PL6 has a highly sensitive touch screen. It has small buttons, and you might take some time to get used to the size. Although they are very small, the buttons are highly sensitive. Most of the controls have an intuitive design and will work as you expect. The device itself is very small and compact. It is easy to carry it around, and this provides great convenience to people who like outdoor photography.
The camera’s default settings are almost unusable, meaning you will need to spend some time adjusting them. Unfortunately, the menu is also complicated. With time, however, you will learn how to use it. As mentioned earlier in this Olympus PEN E PL6 review, you can enable the Super Control Panel in order to adjust the settings with ease. That way, you will not have to dig deep in the menu to access certain settings.
The camera has a Micro Four Thirds lens mount. About 86 native lenses are available for this mount. This is another factor that sets the PEN E PL6 apart from its competition and previous versions. The Micro Four Thirds lens mount is highly versatile and is unmatched when it comes to mirrorless cameras.
Pros
Many photographers, whether amateur or experienced, have found the Olympus PEN E PL6 to be an ideal compact DSLR. Here are its main advantages:
- Is compact and easily portable.
- Uses a Micro Four Thirds mount, the most versatile mount available for mirrorless cameras.
- Compared to similar products, it is highly affordable; it has a lot of features that you would not find in similarly priced products.
- Has high resolution and produces sharp images.
- Can take clear pictures in poorly lit environments.
- Uses a highly sensitive touch screen.
- Has fast autofocus functionality.
- Can take 1080p videos at a speed of 8 frames per second.
- Can support external SD cards.
- Is covered by a one-year warranty on parts and labor.
Cons
Although it is a well-made device, the Olympus PEN E PL6 is not without its flaws. This list should help you make an informed decision regarding the purchase of this camera:
- It has a poor default menu setup – critical settings are buried in the menu.
- It does not have internal storage, but you can use external SD cards; it’s also worth mentioning that most good cameras at this price range do not have internal storage space;
- Does not have built-in Wi-Fi functionality, but comes with a Wi-Fi card.
- Has no built-in flash.
Recommendations
If you are a casual photographer, this camera will serve your purpose perfectly. It is much better than most smartphones. It is also very cheap, given that an improved version is already available on the market. The Olympus PEN E PL7 has been designed to rectify most issues that had been noted in this camera, and that has warranted the throwaway price of the E PL6. Since the manufacturer is still producing this camera, you can take the opportunity to get a nice product at an unusually low price. That said, this camera would not be recommended for professional photography. It would, however, work perfectly for vloggers and other casual activities. In addition, it can capture fast-moving objects well as it has a quick autofocus functionality.
Pro Tip
As mentioned before, the Olympus PEN E PL6 is one of the best DSLRs in its price range. When compared to the CanonPowerShot SX710, the PEN E PL6 is much more user-friendly and boasts some great advantages, like the touch screen that is completely lacking in the SX710 PowerShot model from Canon. The PL6 also has a 300% higher maximum ISO, 26 more focus points, 1.6 fps faster continuous shooting mode, longer battery life, longer flash coverage, and more convenient price. It’s also a lot lighter, weighing 50% less than the Canon model.
However, the Canon model uses built-in Wi-Fi which offers much better connectivity annd also has a built-in flash. The PowerShot model also has a much better screen resolution and comes with a microphone port, NFC connection, and smartphone remote control, which can definitely be helpful.
Verdict
The Olympus PEN E PL6 is a great DSLR camera, especially for its price range. It has been on the market for some time now, and an improved version has already been released by the manufacturer. Still, it has lots of strong points and a great usability score if imperfect wi-fi connectivity isn’t a deal-breaker for you. Most competitor products are either very highly priced or poorer in functionality.
If you have any questions regarding this camera, feel free to send us a message and we will respond promptly. You can also leave your thoughts and experiences with the device in the comment section below.
The Olympus Pen E-PL6 is mirrorless. So it’s not a DSLR; a DSLR would have a mirror and so would be much bigger. The Pen, like every Micro Four Thirds body, is a Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera, or MILC.