Aesthetically this camera has it all, but let’s be honest how much can you expect from a point-and-shoot camera?

Is it just me that thinks the Olympus Pen E-PL8 isn’t worth the hype?

I finally got my Olympus PEN E-PL8 after my beloved Canon camera broke after years of using it for blogging. I searched the entire internet to find a camera that suited all of my needs for shooting blog photos. I admit I definitely fell in love with the look of the Olympus Pen but I was disappointed in its performance, it certainly didn’t live up to my expectations. So I made the decision to send it back, here’s why.

I fell into the marketing trap

The latest Olympus PEN series has a very clever marketing campaign which is aimed specifically at bloggers i.e me. So when I was deciding to purchase a new camera I was led to youtube vids and blogs – all sponsored by Olympus. Whilst I am honest and transparent with my sponsored content, I know this isn’t always the case with other ‘bigger’ bloggers. Especially an ‘Olympus Ambassador’ who has probably been paid a fair amount to get a brand’s message across. The majority of reviews I read online before purchasing led me to believe that this camera was a ‘must have’ for bloggers. With all the pretty flat lay photos and amazing reviews… yup I did it, I fell head first into their marketing trap. 

But is it not practical? 

The screen flip, why does it go down? It’s so bloody awkward. I couldn’t use it on my tripod with the screen flipped down, this was a big no-no for me and I wasn’t going to buy a new tripod to fit the camera. I also found the screen to be really flimsy, and I don’t think its scratch or weather resistant so that was a bit of a worry too!

It’s not all bad tho, I felt that many of the features are really great for bloggers. For example, I loved how they have an app which uploads all the pictures from your camera to your phone for easy posting on social media. They also had a function with Instagram-style filters, to be honest, they weren’t that great but I thought it was a really good idea! I feel that this would be a good camera for someone who was wanting a starter camera for blogging and that just wasn’t right for me. 

The image quality isn’t the best

The Olympus Pen has a 12 MP camera and I bought the pancake lens which had good reviews. But I wasn’t impressed by the images quality (see below). Some bloggers did recommend buying the 45mm 1.8 lens which is apparently great for a blurred background but I really didn’t want to pay another £200.

As for the quality, I don’t know if it is just me, but I thought it was similar to the quality of an iPhone 7 when I tested out a friends phone, so paying £500 for a similar quality to a phone just seemed absurd to me. Also, with the iPhone 8 coming out in September (which I will be upgrading to) it just didn’t seem like a wise choice to have both. 

Shot on iPhone 6

Shot on the Olympus PEN (unedited)

Visit my Instagram to see the edited versions

Shot on my Canon 500D with 45mm 1.8 lens  

This was my first ever DSLR camera, so it’s super old but the image quality is still brilliant. Sometimes getting an old body with a new lens will save you a fortune and still produce good results! My friends do cringe when I whip it out in public because it’s so bulky but if I get high-quality images I’m not too fussed. 

Overall Verdict 

Pros

• great for quick selfies
• works brilliantly in the natural light 
• the camera itself is nice to look at
• it’s compact and easy to carry around
• good for vlogging on the go 

Cons

• doesn’t do well in poor lighting 
• detachable flash is annoying 
• using it with a tripod is awkward  
• doesn’t give that crisp photo that I was hoping for 
• camera lenses are super pricey

So I’m now on a hunt for a new DSLR… I would love to hear all of your suggestions!

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