Olympus Pen E-P5 review – LCD, viewfinder and video
As mentioned in Features in use, VF-4 EVF, the E-P5 does not have a viewfinder, although it is compatible with the VF-4 EVF. As such, the E-P5 body comes in at a more affordable price than the viewfinder-equipped OM-D did when it was released. Include the VF-4 with the E-P5, however, and the prices are similar.
Like the OM-D, the E-P5 has a 3in rear tilting touchscreen, although on this new camera it is a 1.037-million-dot-resolution LCD type, rather than the OM-D’s 610,000-dot OLED display. OLED screens are supposed to have greater contrast than LCDs, but when viewing the displays together I found it difficult to see any real differences in their clarity and boldness. The E-P5 has a lovely, punchy LCD screen. However, during the test I was often in bright sunshine, under which the rear screen is not completely clear, especially with finger marks on it. I found the EVF to be the better option for clear viewing in bright conditions.
The capacitive touchscreen works really well. Its response is instant, with touch options for shutter, AF and metering. Compared to Panasonic’s Lumix G models, which carry some of the best touchscreens on the market, the E-P5 holds its own. What would be handy is if the E-P5’s touchscreen worked while the viewfinder is in use.
Video recording is on the modest side, although the E-P5 does still offer full HD 1080p recording at 30fps.
