Olympus PEN Lite PEN E-PL7 - White Pancake

The Olympus PEN E-PL7 is a compact mirrorless camera with a flip-up touchscreen, 16MP sensor, and in-body stabilization. It's a decent budget option for vlogging and casual shooting at around $300 USD, but weak battery life, no viewfinder, and no weather sealing hold it back. If you can stretch your budget, a used Sony a6300 or Fujifilm X-T3 is a better buy.

The E-PL7 uses a 16.1 megapixel Live MOS sensor with in-body image stabilization rated for about 3 stops of correction. That IBIS is a nice touch at this price, and it lands in the 69th percentile for stabilization among mirrorless cameras in our database. It won't freeze action like a modern flagship, but it helps keep handheld shots steady in low light.

Autofocus is actually a bright spot here. The 81-point AF system scores in the 74th percentile, which is well above average for a camera this old. It's not going to track a running dog like a Sony a6300, but for static subjects and casual shooting it gets the job done. Burst shooting is a weak point at the 32nd percentile, so don't expect to spray and pray at a soccer game. Video tops out at 1080p, and the video score sits at 47th percentile, which is about average but nothing to write home about in 2024.

Stacked against the Sony a6300, the E-PL7 loses on sensor size, video quality, and build. The a6300 has a 24MP APS-C sensor and shoots 4K, while the E-PL7 is stuck at 16MP and 1080p. The Fujifilm X-T3 is in a completely different league with its 26MP sensor and excellent video features, though it costs more. The Panasonic Lumix G9 II and OM System OM-5 are both newer Micro Four Thirds bodies that offer weather sealing, better stabilization, and modern autofocus, but they're also significantly more expensive.

If you're comparing the E-PL7 to the Nikon Z5, there's no contest. The Z5 is a full-frame camera with in-body stabilization, a viewfinder, and far better low-light performance. The only reason to pick the E-PL7 over any of these is price and size. It's smaller and cheaper than all of them, and for some people that's enough.

At $308 USD, the E-PL7 is cheap enough to be tempting, especially if you find one with the 14-42mm EZ lens included. But the value proposition gets murky when you look at the CAD price of $953, which is absurd for a camera this old. For that kind of money you could get a used Sony a6300 or even a Fujifilm X-T3 body, both of which outclass the E-PL7 in nearly every way. If you're paying in USD or EUR, it's a reasonable entry point. If you're in Canada, run.

The Olympus PEN Lite E-PL7 is a mirrorless camera that sits in that weird middle ground between a point-and-shoot and a serious interchangeable lens setup. It's built around a 16MP Micro Four Thirds sensor and comes bundled with a 14-42mm F3.5-6.3 EZ pancake lens, which keeps the whole package small enough to toss in a bag without thinking twice. At around $308 USD on the used or international market, it's one of the cheaper ways to get into the Micro Four Thirds system, though the CAD pricing we're seeing is a whole different story.

People searching for a beginner mirrorless camera or a compact option for streaming will probably stumble across this thing. The E-PL7 has a flip-up 3-inch touchscreen that rotates 180 degrees, which makes it handy for selfies and vlogging, plus built-in Wi-Fi for transferring shots to your phone. It's not weather sealed and there's no built-in viewfinder, so you're composing everything on that rear screen.

Is the Olympus PEN E-PL7 good for travel? Honestly, not really. Our database puts its travel score at 25.4 out of 100, which is one of the weakest areas for this camera. The lack of weather sealing and a mediocre battery life hold it back, even though the body itself is light at 309 grams.

Skip the E-PL7 if you shoot outdoors in rough conditions, need long battery life, or want to capture fast action. The lack of weather sealing, weak battery, and slow burst shooting make it a poor fit for travel photographers and sports shooters. If you want a viewfinder, look at the Sony a6300 or Fujifilm X-T3 instead. And if you're in Canada seeing that $953 CAD price tag, just close the tab and buy something else.

Should you buy the Olympus PEN E-PL7? If you can find one for around $300 USD and you want a tiny camera for casual snapshots, vlogging, or streaming, it's a decent little machine. The flip screen, Wi-Fi, and compact size make it easy to live with, and the autofocus is better than you'd expect from a camera this old.

But if you care about battery life, build quality, or shooting in anything other than perfect weather, this isn't the camera for you. The lack of a viewfinder and weather sealing are real compromises, and the slow burst shooting will annoy anyone trying to capture action. For most people, a used Sony a6300 or a newer Micro Four Thirds body is a smarter long-term investment.