gdgt

With the E-PM1, Olympus offers sleek design and fast AF performance in a package priced to appeal to users looking to trade in their compact-camera for higher image quality without adding too much bulk.

The Olympus PEN E-PM1 is priced right for an entry-level interchangeable-lens model and it's a solid, if somewhat unassuming, model. I just found myself missing features like a touch screen and tilting LCD, and the photo quality is a bit too inconsistent for my taste. That said, it's better than a...

Though this is a digital Pen for those on a budget, the cheaper price has thankfully not meant a whole host of annoying compromises.

The PEN Mini has many tricks similar to the more expensive E-P3, but many of the things that made us overlook areas of middling performance on the E-P3 are gone. The result is a package that underwhelms compared to the rest of the PEN lineup, but still provides fair value for its entry-level price.

Bearing in mind the target market for the Olympus PEN Mini E-PM1, which is primarily people looking for a higher-quality upgrade from a compact camera, Olympus has done a good job on the whole with this camera.