My very first real camera was a "Tower by Olympus," bought in 1959, when I was in high school. Since then I have moved through a number of cameras, lately mostly point-and-shoot digitals. The PEN E-PL9 is the first interchangeable lens camera with a wide range of adjustability I've had. I've only had it a week and so far, I'm really impressed. I remember that my first Olympus back in the '50s impressed my pro-photographer boss when its M. Zuiko lens proved to have resolution equal to his vastly more-expensive Leica lenses. I'm really impressed with the resolution of the PEN system as well. It's already shown me what I've been missing with the point-and-shoot cameras. Our first family holiday get-together is tomorrow and I'm looking forward to using this camera!

This isn’t my first interchangeable lens camera, nor my first digital camera. My kit includes an E-M5 mk II, a TG-3, and a Leica M-9P with a bunch of lenses. But I badly needed something more compact than the OMD, but taking the same lenses. First the pros: The PL9 is easy to handle. At long, long last Olympus has come up with a menu system and super control panel that, while not quite intuitive is nevertheless easy to remember and navigate when the pressure is on. Partly that’s because the mode knob allows direct access to some of the complex functions and provides understandable hints. Some reviewers have complained that this makes it a beginner’s camera. Nonsense. Being easy to use, being able to do complicated things quickly is something a pro demands in his or her camera. Like many Pen users I’ve been taking pictures for a long time (57 years!). I know how to set exposure, how to choose shutter speed and aperture. I’ve proven it on cameras that didn’t need a battery. So it doesn’t bother me to turn some things over to the computer as long as I can override, a job made extremely easy on the E-PL9. This camera does an outstanding job of getting a sharp and well exposed picture. The color rendering is excellent, and the autofocus works very well on static subjects. I’ve come to feel confident that the matrix meeting will almost always give me the JPEG rendition I want and that when I don’t like its choice I can shift the program or easily apply exposure compensation and change the ISO. But I usually shoot RAW too. The handling: The Pen fits my hand well, and all the controls are pretty much where I expect them and want them, something Oly hasn’t always gotten right. The grip is the best built in one I’ve had on any compact camera including the M5mk2. But what pleases me the most is that the heft and finish are remarkably like that of the pre-War Leica IIIC screw mount box I used 50 years ago and that is probably still working somewhere. It’s a delight to use. The EZ kit zoom is a lot better than I had anticipated it would be. It doesn’t compare in absolute sharpness to the 12-40/2.8 Pro zoom, but it is smaller, lighter and very much less expensive. I’ve pixel peeped up to a 27” diagonal on a large monitor, and the EZ is sharp enough to make 11x14” prints that can be shown next to prints from other cameras with fancier lenses. What’s not to like? The IBIS system working on only three axes. I knew that going in, but I didn’t realize how much I would miss the extra stabilization given that I have to hold the camera away from my face to see the screen instead of getting a three point brace with the viewfinder resting on my eye socket. I just wish there were a way to put an auxiliary EVF on this model Pen. Because of the IBIS stabilization/free hand shooting problem, I’m not comfortable hand holding anything longer than the 40-150 zoom, although I guess if I could afford a longer Pro zoom with a wider aperture I might feel differently. But I probably couldn’t even pick up,the combination. Oh, right. The E-PL9 is also really good looking if that matters to you, especially in blue. -- This is an addition to the review I just submitted -- This is NOT (just) a woman’s camera. Do NOT let Olympus fool you with the marketing and advertising focusing totally on style and pretty young women. The E-PL9 is every bit a men’s camera. I expect mine to pick up a few scratches and dings along the way. I won’t treat it as hard as my OM-D EM5 mk2 because it’s not weather sealed. But there is nothing feminine about the box!