Olympus has taken the wraps off a new Micro Four Thirds camera, the PEN E-PL7, which should appeal to those looking to take their selfies to the next level.
The new camera may have a 16.05-megapixel Live MOS Micro Four Thirds image sensor, an interchangeable lens system, and an in-body 3-axis VCM image stabilisation system taken from the excellent Olympus OM-D E-M10, but that's not the PEN E-PL7's defining feature.
That would be the fact that all of the above is allied to a 3-inch 1.04 million-dot touchscreen that can be flipped around 180 degrees. Yep, it's an extremely sophisticated selfie cam.
In fact, Olympus reveals that the PEN E-PL7 comes with a "selfie-dedicated mode," which the camera automatically snaps into when the display is flipped around. This places the shutter control on the touchscreen, and times the snap to take place a second after pressing. You know, to give you time to assume that cheesy pose in front of a breathtaking scene of natural beauty.
Other points of note include an extremely fast autofocus system. It's the fastest Olympus has ever produced, apparently, and it utilises an impressive 81 points covering the whole image.
We should also note the absence of a built-in flash. Rather, Olympus will bundle a flash attachment in. The PEN E-PL7 also comes with Wi-Fi, and you can quickly pair it with your smartphone using a QR code.
In keeping with the Olympus PEN E-PL7's smartphone-like angle, it also comes with an array of arty filters for the Instagram crowd. There's also a nifty Partial Colour mode that lets you accentuate a particular part of the colour spectrum in a shot.
The Olympus PEN E-PL7 will be available in late September, and the body alone will cost $599 (roughly £361). With an M.Zuiko Digital 14-42 mm f3.5-5.6 II R lens bundled in, you'll have to add an extra $100 (£60) on top.
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