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The Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5 delivers the performance of the top-end Olympus OM-D E-M5 in a smaller package and at a fraction of the price.

For beginning shooters or experienced DSLR users interested in a street-style camera on a budget, Olympus micro 4/3 offerings like the new E-PL5 are an excellent choice. This particular model was just a bit too small and had a few weird quirks for my liking, but overall it’s an excellent update.

Should You Buy It? The saving grace for this camera is the stellar image quality and focus system. If you can get over general usability issues and want a top-notch compact performer for your micro 4/3 lenses, the PL5 is a good choice.

The E-PL5 is a fine example of how a compact system camera should be. Top stuff.

Olympus has churned out a very nice camera in the form of the Pen Lite E-PL5, which will satisfy many photographers looking for an upgrade from their compact camera or smartphone.

Although we had some issues with the camera's ergonomics and menu system, the E-PL5 nevertheless impressed us on its technical merits.

The image quality produced by a compact system camera at this price point is simply astounding. Though the E-PL5's menu system is confusing and confounding, those with patience will find themselves pleased with the camera's advanced, immensely customizable controls.

Olympus has once again delivered a fantastic camera in the shape of the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL5.

It's a mirrorless camera that takes very good-quality pictures and offers high-end performances. This latest addition to the Pen family is therefore well positioned to succeed in the world of interchangeable lens compacts.

Almost the same size as the equally new Canon EOS M, which will have the advantage in some purists' eyes thanks to a physically larger APS-C image sensor, the 16.3 effective megapixel Olympus E-PL5 has the edge for its charmingly retro styling.

The higher-end model, the Olympus Pen E-PL5, is still about the same size, but it gains a few features from both the E-P3 and the OM-D E-M5, both of which have some cool stuff to offer.