THE WEEK'S TOP HEADLINES IN PHOTOGRAPHY

PEN E-P7 HERALDS RETURN OF THE OLYMPUS BRAND

New travel camera is first under new owners – and it looks familiar

OM Digital Solutions has announced the Olympus PEN E-P7 – the first new Olympus camera of the new era, under new ownership – and it’s a familiar-looking travel camera with upgraded specs.

Almost exactly a year ago, the Olympus Corporation announced it was selling its cameras division to a Japanese investment fund, which led to the creation of a subsidiary called OM Digital Solutions.

It’s this company, which will continue using the Olympus brand name, that has launched the Olympus PEN E-P7, making it the first camera released under the new owners. But the E-P7 is by no means a break from the past – in fact, its spec sheet suggests it’s very much a product of its previous owners, and was probably already in the pipeline prior to the sale.

The PEN E-P7’s name suggests that it’s the spiritual successor to the Olympus PEN E-P5, which launched back in 2013. But it’s perhaps more fitting to call it a compact, viewfinder-less version of the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV from last year.