The Top Gun PEN camera hits the infoSync labs. Will the Olympus E-P2 shoot the competition out of the sky, or this this just another pen in the pocket? Read the full review here.
Olympus E-P2 Overview
Within the electrifying world of retro-inspired Micro Four Thirds compacts resides the Olympus E-P2, which represents the company's top PEN camera. The Olympus E-P2 succeeds the hugely popular Olympus E-P1 and towers above the beginner-friendly Olympus E-PL1. Its direct competition is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2, which brings a whole lot of features to the rink that the E-P2 simply cannot contain. As a retro-inspired device that offers great image quality and space-saving dimensions, the Olympus E-P2 excels in its class. However, the jump up from the E-PL1 is really not that significant when you compare the gap between the beginner-friendly Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 and advanced Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2. Read on to see what we mean.
Shooting with the Olympus E-P2
One glaringly obvious departure Olympus took with the E-P2 was a trip down Quality Lane when it came to the camera's build. Despite the camera's compact size, it's actually got some meat on its bones, which is a desired trait for advanced photographers. We liked the right hand grip, though it was more for show than any type of cushy padding, and the camera's body was partly constructed from a rugged metal casing. In back, the Olympus E-P2 offers a spinning control dial, which is a great feature to have in conjunction with the camera's control barrel located on the top right of the camera's backside. These dials allowed us to make adjustments quickly by pressing a button and using the dial simultaneously for speedy action.
On the downside, the Olympus E-P2 does not have a built-in viewfinder and its LCD is fixed. In fact, its 230,000-dot three-inch HyperCrystal LCD failed to impress us, providing a display tantamount to point-and-shoot models. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 has a fold-out three-inch LCD with a 460,000-pixel display, in addition to a 1,440,000-pixel Live View viewfinder that offers an exceptional picture. We could add an electric viewfinder to the Olympus E-P2 as an accessory, but mounting one to the top of the camera limited our options for flashes and boom microphones. We liked using the viewfinder add-on better than the LCD, and we just wish Olympus would have at least given us a better LCD monitor or added a built-in viewfinder. The E-P2 also does not have a built-in flash, which may be a deal-breaker for abstract slow shutter shooters who need a viewfinder as well.
Menus were the same as the rest of the PEN cameras, and we were given many of the same options we got on the E-PL1, including 11 area Multi AF, 8 White Balance settings, and Olympus's Enhance color modes, including Vivid, Natural, Portait, etc. Art modes also made their way onto the Olympus E-P2, and this time we could choose from Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Color, Light Tone, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Cross Process. We loved shooting in Cross Process mode, thanks to its brash contrast and altered color tones, and Art modes could even be applied in video mode. Unfortunately, half of the Art modes are recorded at very choppy framerates and there's no dedicated Video Record button, meaning we had to manually select Video mode from the Mode dial.
Another perk with Olympus PEN cameras is that they share many of the manual controls available on the company's DSLR lineup. The Olympus E-P2 had a 60 – 1/4000 Shutter Speed range, ISO up to 6400, Exposure Bracketing and Compensation, and a nice wide Aperture range, depending on which lens you put on. We could shoot in four different aspect ratios – 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, and 6:6, and the E-P2 had built-in sensor shift Image Stabilization. Surprisingly, the Olympus E-P2 is nearly identical to the E-PL1 when it comes to controls, so you're really only upgrading architecture in the step up to the E-P2.
Olympus E-P2 Still Image Quality
Olympus apparently did not want to mess with a good thing, so they stuffed the same 12.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor in the E-P2 as they did in the E-PL1. As a result, we saw the same tried and true still image quality on the E-P2 as we saw on the E-PL1, in RAW and JPEG. Both cameras produce impressive Four Thirds sensor goodness. But this time around we shot at night in Auto ISO, hovering between 800 and 1600. The results were slightly rocky, as noise increased, so serious photographers will want to stick with a tripod and slower shutter speeds.
While the sun was up, we were very happy with the Olympus E-P2's performance, especially the addictive Art modes. But be warned—they Olympus E-P2 will want to jack that ISO up when it sees fit, so be sure to manually set it and rely on that steady hand before you snap. The kit lens we used was a 14-42mm M. ZUIKO, which was a nice average focal length, though we'd love to throw some high quality glass on the E-P2 in the future. Check out the image samples below to get a feel for the Olympus E-P2.
As stated above, the Olympus E-P2 shares the same imaging guts with the Olympus E-PL1, so video quality was the same. The camera records in the Motion-JPEG format, up to 720p, 30fps, which means large AVI files and quality that ranks under the more desirable AVCHD Lite found on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2. We were still able to obtain decent videos from the Olympus E-P2, but we know there are better formats out there. Shooting at night was rough, especially without any kind of camera light. At the end of our shoot, we were left wanting a little more in the video department, especially from Olympus's top PEN camera.
Olympus E-P2 Final Answer
We think the Olympus E-P2 is the first PEN camera to leave us with an empty feeling. Not in the still image quality department though—Olympus has really nailed it when it comes to Four Thirds imaging. We're talking about the design of the E-P2. Where's the built-in viewfinder, flash, dedicated Video Record button, and fold-out LCD? We don't get any of those options, which are all available in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 priced at $300 less than this Top Gun PEN. Olympus didn't even bother to spruce up the manual control selection either, and it's uncanny how identical the basic Olympus E-PL1 and supposedly advanced E-P2 really are. In fact, the E-PL1 has a built-in popup flash. So, we're left scratching our heads. Aside from size and retro style, the Olympus E-P2 really doesn't have anything on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2. So, we recommend the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 for advanced photographers. If you're a PEN junky and need retro style in exchange for advanced architecture, then go for the E-P2, but don't say we didn't warn you.
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