The latest addition to the Pen lineup, the Olympus Pen E-PL9 (released March 2018) is a fantastic update and my favourite E-PL Pen model to date…!

The first thing that really struck me on picking up the Olympus Pen E-PL9 is the improved build quality – the body feels more solid in your hands. The redesigned and reinforced menu & settings layout on the back to the right of the screen, makes for much better handling and button pressing. I often found on the E-PL8 that my thumb would skip accidentally onto the Record button and this is less likely to happen now. The button positioning is just the same as the E-PL8 and the screen flips up and out too in the same way.

So what’s new?

4K VIDEO
& TRIGGERING RECORD REMOTELY

The big news for this camera is the 4K video for high quality video (great if you are planning to get into You Tube seriously!). And plus you have the brilliant software update – if you’re using the Olympus Share app to film remotely, you can now press the record button from your phone which makes life so much easier! No more having to flip down the camera screen and fiddle with a tripod and slider in order to see yourself!

IMPROVED SENSOR

Add in an improved sensor delivering (IMO!) visibly better image quality than previous models (this sensor is also used on the OMD EM10 Mark iii) and you already have an extremely satisfying photographic experience.

ADVANCED PHOTOGRAPHY MODE

Also new on the mode dial is AP (Advanced Photography) – I enjoyed this mode more than I thought I would! This gives direct access (ie. less button pressing) to features like Live Composite, Double Exposure (see my picture of Gus sleeping on the plane below for my first ever successful attempt!) and Aspect (this is brilliant for straightening building perspective (something I’ve always done in VSCO to date).

NEW FILTERS

There are also some new photo filters to play around with including Bleachout which is one of my favourites to date!

So overall…

Using prime lenses M.Zuiko 17mm 1.8 and 45mm 1.8 I was thrilled with the beautiful results I got shooting wildflowers. I’m a sucker for beautiful blur as you probably know and I absolutely loved the effects the spring light, portrait lenses and improved sensor were giving me.

This combined with its portability – so easily slipped into a handbag or even big jacket pocket – makes the E-PL9 a very tempting choice even over my beloved Pen F. Of course if you are wed to a built in viewfinder then the F or OMD would be the model for you. There were a couple of occasions I missed the viewfinder, especially when very sunny, but overall I happily did without; these days I’d say I shoot 80% screen, 20% viewfinder.

Camara connection!

Cameras can be quite a personal thing – how they feel in your hands, how you connect with the navigation and how comfortable it makes you feel in the pursuit of your end goal of capturing the images you want.

I tend to ‘connect’ with cameras and out of all the E-PL models I’ve used to date, the 9 is the one I have connected with the most. It won’t replace my Pen F (essentially the Pen superstar with viewfinder & insane image quality!) but truth is it has replaced my F as a my daily runaround camera as it’s that much smaller. And I’m enjoying using it in all the situations I’d normally use my F and not feeling let down!

I would say if you have the 7 and are looking to upgrade this is definitely the camera to go for – the upgrade is fairly significant and in my opinion worth the higher price tag. If you have recently bought the 8, I would hold fast for now, or you consider a body swap and pay the extra which you can do at Jessops.

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Photos all taken on Olympus Pen E-PL9 in the Algarve at Easter time and an Olympus overnight in the Cotswolds where we (@enbrogue, @thelondonchatter & @thefashion_lift) were hosted by the gorgeous The Painswick Hotel.

Shop the Olympus Pen E-PL9 here for a 10% discount with code BLOGGER10

Hannah Rochell from En Brogue getting to grips with her caramel Olympus Pen E-PL9.

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Pump up your F-stop to F22 and position the sun peeking out from behind a tree/building/vehicle to create a lovely sunstar!

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Higher Higher your F-stop to ensure everything in your picture is in focus for a ‘flatter’ feel (ie. shallower depth of field) for a strong facade/pretty doors shot.

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Lower your F-stop to F1.8 on a prime lens (or F3.5 on kit lens) and position you subject close to you with distance behind to get an impressive blurry background

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Visiting the stunning 17th century Rococo Gardens just up the road from The Painswick – I highly recommend! And shooting Kelly from The London Chatter on the E-PL9 with 17mm lens.

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Building sandcastles on an Algarve beach! Shot on 17mm 1.8 lens with aperture/f-stop all the way down at lowest number…

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Easily accessed through the new AP (Advanced Photography) mode on the dial, Double Exposure is fun but has never been my forte! But inspiration took hold with a snoozing Gus on our flight to Portugal and I’m really happy with the results!

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The Snapping the lovely Fran from The Fashion Lift in the stunning Rococo Gardens just a 5 minute drive from The Painswick…

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The beautifully refurbished rooms at The Painswick (spy my pretty Scarlett Elizabeth pouch on the bed!)

A shirt to match all my flower pics (by the lovely Really Wild Clothing) and the E-PL9 with  M.Zuiko 17mm lens 1.8 which is the lens I use 95% of the time!

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All shots taken on the Olympus Pen E-PL9 using the kit lens that comes with the camera, the M.Zuiko 17mm 1.8 or 45mm 1.8 – these prime lenses are what will get you that beautiful background blur!

Shop the Olympus Pen E-PL9 here for a 10% discount with code BLOGGER10