Olympus has announced three new Pen models – the Pen E-P3, Pen Lite E-PL3 and Pen Mini E-PM1. All three models feature a new 12-megapixel sensor, touchscreen controls, TruePic VI imaging engine, 1080i (AVCHD) video and fast autofocus (AF). Olympus claims to have widened the dynamic range by more than a stop and improved noise performance compared to previous Pen cameras.
The flagship E-P3 is the largest of the three models and includes a
built-in flash and 3-inch, 610,000-dot OLED touchscreen display. It
offers 10 Art Filters – Diorama, Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light
Color, Light Tone, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Cross Process, Gentle Sepia
and Dramatic Tone – and a new Art Filter bracketing mode that allows
users to output up to 10 different images from one shot.
The built-in flash has a guide number of 10m (ISO 200) and can be used
to wirelessly control multiple flash units. Graphical User Interface
(GUI) has been redesigned to incorpoate an on-board help system and the
image-stabilisation system has been enhanced for smoother handheld video
capture.
Olympus Pen E-P3.
The Pen E-P3 will retail for $999 with a 14-42mm zoom
lens or $1199 with two lenses, the 14-42mm and 40-150mm zooms. It is
expected to be available in Australia in late July.
The Pen Lite E-PL3 is similar in size to the Pen Mini, but slightly thicker and heavier thanks to a tilting 3.0-inch monitor. The screen has maximum angle adjustments of 80° up and 45° down.
Maximum continuous shooting speed is five frames per second. The camera does not include a built-in flash, but ships with an accessory flash that can be connected to the camera via the hotshoe attachment. It also offers fewer Art Filters than the E-P3, down from 10 to 6. It is expected to go on sale in Australia in Spring and will be available in four colours – silver, white, red and black. 
Olympus Pen Lite E-PL3.
The baby of the family is the Pen Mini E-PM1, which weighs in at just 215 grams without a lens. It offers the same imaging capabilities as the other two Pens with identical sensor and imaging engine. Unlike the Pen Lite E-PL3, the 460,000-dot LCD is fixed.
It goes on sale in Spring and will be available in six colours – black, brown, pink, white, silver and purple.
Olympus Pen Mini E-PM1.
Olympus has also announced two new lenses for the Pen system, the M.Zuiko DIGITAL 12mm f2.0 and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm f1.8.