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Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
Bridging Tech and Creative Photography
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The Olympus EP7 Is the Most Beautiful Camera They’ve Made in a While

Chris Gampat
No Comments
06/09/2021
3 Mins read
PC140294

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Look at this thing! Look at it! Acknowledge the fact that your heart beats just a little faster when you look at the Olympus EP7. Ergonomically speaking, Olympus has always gotten it right. And when they really want to be retro, they produce some of the most beautiful digital cameras ever made. Visually, the Olympus EP7 is the first camera from the brand to excite me since the Pen F. We’ve waxed poetically about the Olympus Pen F many times. In the years to come, the Olympus EP7 might be similar. But trust me, it’s not all just looks.

What’s on the Inside

Here’s what’s going on with the Olympus EP7’s internals.

  • 20.3MP Live Mos sensor. Yes, it’s a Four Thirds sensor. This is the same one they’ve used for almost a decade. On a camera like this, you really can’t complain. I’d suggest shooting in JPEG and using the Art Filters. Grainy Black and white is beautiful. So too are the Pop Art, Instant Film, and Cross Process filters. If we were talking about a more serious camera, then I’d be adamant. But for the Olympus EP7, I can’t really complain.
  • 5 axis image stabilization for your shaky, coffee-drinking hands
  • 3-inch tilting LCD screen. It also seems like you can connect an EVF.
  • Black and silver or silver and white
  • Fashion accessories like leather straps and all
  • 121 AF points.
  • ISO 200-25,600
  • 1/320 flash sync
  • 1/16,000 electronic shutter sync
  • Up to 15 frames a second
  • USB charging, but it’s not USB C

 

Ergonomics and Those Dazzling Good Looks

In the past few years, I’ve helped more people realize that the romance of photography is gone. There is no sensory romance like there is with something like a new car, fine wine, etc. The feel of cameras in your hands is more or less monotonous. They all have similar shapes and looks based on an SLR design. Very few have rangefinder-style bodies. The shutters have been dampened to be super quiet in addition to a silent electronic shutter. And of course, digital doesn’t let you step into a darkroom to smell the chemicals. But the Olympus EP7 lets you experience just a bit of that. 

Lots of folks have wondered why you’d pick up a Leica, for example. Then they understand the tactile experience around it. There’s something purely romantic about the idea of carefully lining up the focusing of the rangefinder. With the Olympus EP7, I’m hoping the same attention has been given to the dials and buttons. Yes, there is no viewfinder, but that’s not a dealbreaker. Very often, I’ve found myself having fun using the LCD.

Does the Olympus EP7 Hint at More? 

Olympus said they were working on a high-end Olympus Pen camera. Well, I’m hoping that this isn’t the end of it all. What we’ve needed for years is a high-end Olympus Pen F with weather sealing, a nice viewfinder, a joystick, and a better sensor. Olympus has all the small prime lenses for the camera. They also like to state that their fans are wildlife and landscape shooters. I’d agree with that, but I also never thought they gave street photography a serious shot. If we can have cameras this small and this beautiful with us all the time, why would someone not carry one? 

One can argue that there are also small APS-C and full-frame cameras out there. The cult of the RICOH Gr series is indeed real. But the look of Olympus Grainy Film isn’t there. Fujifilm has the X100V as well. And while that looks really nice and boasts almost full weather-sealing, it’s not a beautiful as an Olympus EP7. Finally, the Leica Q2 is far more expensive. 

Unfortunately, this camera won’t be coming to the US, at least just yet. And that, more than anything else, is the saddest part of all this. In Europe, it will cost under 1,000 Euro. 

build quality camera colors ergonomics focus looks market olympus olympus ep7 pen f
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Written by

Chris Gampat

Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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