Expert’s Rating
Our Verdict
The 12 - megapixel , interchangeable - lensPen E - P2is the second Micro Four - Thirds camera from Olympus . It offers the same great - looking , old - school day aim as its predecessor , theOlympus Pen E - P1 , but ups the ante a mo with some unique in - camera modes and the inclusion of an attachable , centre - level electronic viewfinder ( EVF ) .
It ’s usable in two kit configurations , bundled with a 14mm - to-42 millimetre f3.5 - to - f5.6 M. Zuiko ED zoom lens ( the configuration we tested for this First Look ) or with a 17 mm f2.8 M. Zuiko pancake lens .
Although it ’s just about the same size as Panasonic ’s most - compendious Micro Four - third system camera , the Lumix DMC - GF1 , a couple of important difference of opinion differentiate the Pen E - P2 from that competitor . The vitamin E - P2 lacks an on - gameboard New York minute ( the hot shoe that sustain the EVF or an international microphone can also handle a mountable flash ) ; but unlike the Lumix DMC - GF1 , it does have in - body stabilisation , which entail you do n’t involve stabilized genus Lens to get that feature film . The eye - level EVF is also a notable difference .
The Pen E - P2 is also more expensive , sold at $ 1100 as a outfit with either the 14mm - to-42 mm rapid climb crystalline lens or the 17 mm select lens . That price redact it well beyond the realm of mostentry - spirit level DSLRs , many of which cost less than $ 700at this item . What you get in exchange is the more - compact size of the Olympus Pen E - P2 , the power to shoot 720p HD video , and hold in - camera feature of speech — some of the most fun features I ’ve ever used .
Here ’s what makes this camera so hard to put down : An Art Filter mode , call Diorama mode , mime the gist of a tilt - shift lens and makes full - size objects count like miniature model . It ’s extremely fun to try out with this mode in urban center , waterfront , or landscape painting shots .
you’re able to also utilise the Diorama modality ( and any of the seven other Art Filters ) when you ’re using the television camera in 720p video mode . That said , you ’ll have to deal with a few limitations : First , when shooting in Diorama manner , the camera is doing a heap of real - sentence processing that make the live - view viewfinder feed highly jumpy . Second , the television camera shoots at only 15 frames per second and then speeds up the footage to 30 fps . The resulting footage looks like an old - timey movie .
Shooting video in HD modality without an art filter is a different story . The on - screen action is tranquil , and the television camera takes vibrant footage with great color saturation . To my eyes ( lab imagery tests are still pending ) , the Pen E - P2 shot brighter , better - exposed stills and TV as compared with the Panasonic Lumix DMC - GF1 .
Beyond the E - P2 ’s compact sizing , there ’s a pile to like for forward-looking photographers . The E - P2 shoots RAW - data format images as well as JPEG , and you get full manual controller for both stills and video recording , plus modality - telephone dial memory access to shutter precedence and aperture priority scene .
The controls are very well implemented , too . Using a thumb - controlled scroller on the back , you may adjust aperture background , while pressing or scrolling the four - way directional pad pilot the menu . You have a pile of pick for navigate the photographic camera ’s setting ; the arrangement can be as complex as you desire it to be , but it also has very easy - to - use car modality , scene modes , and Art Filters .
We ’ve been having a lot of sport with this camera , but we also have a couple of gripes so far . One is the difficulty of finding some mise en scene in the menu ; it ’s a corking menu system for simple-minded selections , but our hunt for sealed innovative ascendency ( such as setting the E - P2 to vulnerability bracketing mode or activating the one - touch white balance wheel configurations ) had us plunge into the manual .
Another nitpick concerns the macro way , which sometimes had a hard time lock on to a subject in the foreground when I used the 14mm - to-42 millimetre kit lens on our review unit . That centering muddiness probably wo n’t be an issue with the 17 mm flannel-cake lens of the eye , but it ’s deserving remark .
At $ 1100 , the Olympus Pen E - P2 is also importantly more expensive than an entry - point DSLR , and with a DSLR you get a reliable optic viewfinder , a expectant sensing element , and a wider regalia of lens pick . To put it bluntly , however , this is one of the most merriment - to - use cameras I ’ve ever break up up .
