Olympus Pen E-P7

The Olympus Pen E-P7 arrived in 2021 as a small mirrorless camera, measuring 118 x 69 x 38mm and weighing 337g, a body sized to slip into a bag and travel light.

There is no viewfinder, so composition happens entirely on the rear screen, which flips to assist framing. If you instinctively raise a camera to your eye, that habit will need adjusting.

Inside is a Micro Four Thirds sensor with in-body stabilisation and an interchangeable Micro 4/3 mount, a combination aimed at travel, street and everyday photography where weight matters.

Stills come from a 20-megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor, handled by the TruePic VII processor. The resolution leaves room for prints and cropping, and the Micro 4/3 mount means sensor and lenses share one format.

In-body stabilisation is the key handheld tool. It counters camera shake, so slower shutter speeds stay usable in dim interiors or with a light non-stabilised lens. It will not freeze a moving subject, so action still needs a fast enough shutter.

Burst shooting reaches a maximum of 8.7 frames per second, enough to catch a fleeting expression or a quick gesture in a short sequence. Autofocus draws on 121 points.

Sensitivity runs from ISO 200 to 25600 and the shutter tops out at 1/4000 second. Shooting a bright lens wide open in daylight can run into that ceiling, so a polariser or ND filter is a useful companion.

Video recording goes up to 4K, saved as MPEG-4 or MOV files. The fastest listed frame rate is 60fps; since resolution and speed are separate maximums, check the exact mode you need before a shoot.

The in-body stabilisation counters camera shake rather than subject movement, so a moving subject can still blur even when the camera is held steady.

A built-in timelapse mode handles interval shooting on its own, with no external intervalometer needed, a simple way to turn drifting clouds or a sunset into a short sequence.

Framing relies on the flip touchscreen, which helps when shooting at high or low angles, because there is no viewfinder to fall back on while recording.

Framing and menu control run through the 3-inch touchscreen, which carries 1,040,000 dots for a detailed display. It flips to help at awkward angles, and touch input speeds up adjustments.

Lighting options are flexible. A built-in flash is there for a touch of extra light, and the camera also supports external flash units when you need more power or a different placement.

WiFi and Bluetooth are both built in for wireless connection to other devices. There is no GPS, so the camera cannot tag files with location data on its own.

The body has no weather sealing, so rain, spray and dusty conditions call for care. Kept dry, it is an easy camera to carry every day.

Storage goes into a single SD, SDHC or SDXC slot, and the slot accepts UHS-II cards, so fast card options are open for burst shooting and video. With one slot there is no in-camera backup if a card fails.

The BLS-50 battery is rated at 360 shots, a specification figure rather than an all-day promise. Real endurance varies with how much you lean on the screen and wireless functions, so a charged spare makes sense for long days.

USB charging is available, so the battery can be topped up between shoots from a USB source. Charging behaviour during shooting is not specified, so plan recharges around breaks rather than relying on a power bank mid-take.