Micro 4/3 - Olympus E-P2

The E-P2 is the second generation Olympus Digital Pen camera, the successor to the E-P1. It has the same 12.3 Megapixel Micro 4/3 sensor, 3 inch LCD display, in-body image stabilization, and shoots both stills and video (motion JPG 720p @ 30 fps). Its compatible with all Micro 4/3 lenses and a variety of other lenses via adapters. It shoots from ISO 100-6400 (Note: it shoots, I didn’t say the pictures were good. 1600 is usable though) at up to 3 frames per second.

Unlike the E-P1, the E-P2 includes a VF-2 electronic viewfinder that slides onto the hot-shoe and provides a 100% field of view. It even rotates up 90 degrees to become a waist-level type viewfinder. Magnified focus assist increases the size of critical parts of the image to aid in manually focusing when desired. The camera even has a built-in digital level to help you keep your shots lined up with the horizon.

Tim’s Take:
I snagged the new E-P2 for the weekend for “testing”, and somewhat playing purposes. I’m a big fan of what the micro 4/3 camp is doing, so I was really excited when we got it in stock. I liked the E-P1, but was a little put off by the lack of a viewfinder. Let me start off by saying that the viewfinder makes this camera. If you’re anything like me (clumsy), composing on the rear LCD of a camera can be a little difficult. The viewfinder gives me that familiar, camera up to eye, I am in control feeling. Technically, the viewfinder is amazing. It is crystal clear and allows you to really see what your shooting. The manual focus assist through the viewfinder works great, especially with Leica M-mount lenses.

Some may find the addition of focus tracking to be helpful, but I didn’t think it was quite good enough to be usable. Although Olympus technically didn’t change the stabilization from the E-P1, it is still great. I found myself being able to handhold things that just shouldn’t be possible (Olympus 300mm f2.8 at 1/100 sec). This camera really shines as a walk around, just for fun camera. I found myself wanting to shoot, just because the camera felt good. It’s still not the greatest for low-light photography. Anything above ISO 1000 isn’t really usable except for emergencies.

Overall, there are a few things that I hope Olympus will improve upon, but it’s a great step forward. It’s round two for them, and they definitely delivered a great camera. Hopefully their next will make the big leap from fun, casual camera to serious consideration for paying jobs.

Please note: The software is copyrighted and cannot be sent out with the camera. You will need an image processing software program on your computer to process the images.

Works well with:
Leica M mount lenses with a Leica to Micro 4/3 adapter
Olympus 4/3 to Micro 4/3 adapter

Item Includes:
- Body
- Olympus 17mm f2.8 pancake lens
- Body Cap
- Strap
- Battery
- Charger
- Manual or Cheat Sheet
- Camera Bag