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That the E-PL2 has a built-in flash is taken by many a sign that this is a ‘step up’ camera – aimed at high-end compact owners looking to move up a notch in terms of control and versatility. Neither of the two cameras that sit above the E-PL2 in the PEN range has a built in flash and nor does Sony’s NEX-5/3, but the Lumix GF2 does. The E-PL2’s stabilisation has three modes – 1, 2 and 3. Mode 1 applies stabilisation in both horizontal and vertical planes, while modes 2 and 3 only stabilise in the vertical and horizontal planes respectively, allowing you to pan with the camera in either landscape or portrait orientation.
The flash has a quoted guide number of 10 at 200 ISO. Dividing that by the E-PL2 14-42mm kit lens’ maximum aperture of f3.5 gives a maximum flash distance of 2.82 metres. That may not seem like a hugely powerful flash, and it isn’t, but it is comparable with many recent compacts (manufacturers of which are fond of quoting maximum flash distances at higher ISO settings). It’s fine for reasonably close subjects and, of course, the E-PL2 has a hot shoe which means you can mount an external flash, or use the built-in one to remote trigger models such as the Olympus FL36R Whilst these are the only exterior changes, the specification has had a slight reshuffle. Two additional Art Filters are included (so eight in total) - Diorama (making people and buildings look as if they've been photographed with a specialist tilt and shift lens and so appear to be on a toy town scale) and Cross Process (ape-ing the wet darkroom process) - along with a purportedly colour boosting iEnhance function. Also added to the Pen's list of specification is remote slideshow control via HDMI, plus M mode (full manual) HD movie capability. Maximum movie resolution remains at 1280x720 pixels and 30fps with stereo sound, as per the E-P1 (and the GF1, except that its rival records in mono).The pop up flash unit has to be manually deployed and offers high speed and fill flash as well as wireless flash options with compatible external flash units. Several channels are provided for use in group situations. The external flash units can be triggered by the camera's own built in unit.
One of the things that I particularly like about EVFs is that one can have a live histogram visible. The converted EP2 is a fantastic camera for infrared photography. Its classic lines and retro design make it a real pleasure to take out and about. On a recent trip to Glasgow, I found that it attracted admiring glances and comments whilst being unobtrusive and non-threatening. There is a degree of chromatic aberration present, especially at the edges of the frame, but for normal subjects it is not obvious and not a major concern. The inclusion of the VF-2 in the E-P2 kit does however go some way to make up for the average screen inherited from the E-P1. Like that model, the E-P2 is equipped with a decent-sized screen at 3in, but one with a disappointingly average 230k resolution. This is in contrast to the more detailed 460k screen of the Panasonic Lumix GF1. While the GF1’s screen is preferred under ideal conditions, it is however important to note the Olympus screen remains more visible in direct sunlight thanks to lower reflections. See our Olympus E-P1 review for full details on the screen and menus.In addition, the E-P3 has a 614,000 dot OLED screen that is touch-sensitive. This particular panel uses Samsung's Pentile dot layout to give VGA-equivalent resolution, coupled with capacitance-type touch technology similar to the Apple iPhone. The touch screen can be used to set the focus point and optionally fire the shutter, and can operate some of the camera's other functions too. Crucially though this is always in addition to the rest of the camera's controls, rather than attempting to replace them. If you decide such features don't have a place on such a traditional-looking camera, they can be disabled with no overall loss of functionality. The Olympus E-P2 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 60 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times as long as 30 minutes, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 1/6th seconds at ISO 1600. We've included a 100% crop to show what the quality is like. Some of the Art filters can now be modified – one or two variations on the original filter slightly adapt the effect. Grainy Film provides a second, less contrasty and grainy option, Pin Hole offers a choice of vignette styles and several of the filters now also provide a framing option. Regular readers might recall that I have not been a big fan of the Four Thirds format. The reason was simply that it seemed when the format was introduced, and subsequently, that the smaller format did not allow for significantly smaller cameras. But with the introduction of Micro Four Thirds the format has found its niche. MFT does away with prisms and reflex mirrors but retains the same size sensor as its larger predecessor. Instead we have cameras with Live View LCDs, and also built-in or accessory electronic viewfinders (EVF). This allows for considerably smaller cameras than the 1.5X to 1.7X "reduced frame" formats from Nikon, Canon and others. The included electronic viewfinder is very good. It is high resolution, has a high eyepoint, and is bright. It’s also a bit bulky (more so than the one for the Panasonic GF1). The VF-2 has a well designed diopter adjustment, rubber surround for comfort and eyeglass protection, and it tilts 90 degrees for downward viewing.
Another annoyance is that when working with Auto ISO, the ISO selected by the camera is not displayed on the LCD or the viewfinder. Why not? The camera knows what it is. Why not display it? I want to know, because though there are shooting situations where I’m happy to allow the camera to set the ISO automatically, I may not agree with the choice.One of the complaints of the original E-P1, especially compared to the Panasonic GF1, was its fairly leisurely AF speed. This was slightly improved with the v1.1 firmware update for the E-P1, and the E-P2 (as tested) inherits this most recent capability. As such you’re looking at roughly one second to autofocus with the 17mm f2.8 lens under ideal conditions, which still makes it slower than the GF1. In general-use with static subjects you won’t care, but as soon as you’re trying to capture fleeting smiles from fast-moving kids, you’ll find the GF1 enjoys a higher success rate. In our tests, the GF1’s face detection also proved more reliable than the E-P2, with the Olympus often focusing just in front of the identified face when the subject was turned slightly. We experienced the same issue with the E-P1. The other major change made to the E-P2 also improves the camera significantly. The addition of an accessory port isn't usually the sort of thing that excites us but, when it allows the use of such a good electronic viewfinder, it does make quite a big difference. Most obviously it offers a steadier way of holding the camera and a way to use the camera in really bright light, where the E-P2's rear screen can be hard to see. In addition, though, the clip-on nature of the EVF means that you only have to carry it when you think you'll use it and users who don't think they will are likely to have the option to not have to pay for it.
On the one hand we have a small and rather fiddly camera that needs some considerable care in operation. On the other hand we have a very compact unit that can deliver the very highest quality of results, and this must in the end be what counts. For travel this has to be a very serious contender, offering as it does the prospect of lightening the load to be carried and reducing its bulk as well. There are alternatives as this market expands, but it may well be down to handling and the various options need to be handled to see what suits best. This camera is definitely worth its price and could be the basis of a very effective compact kit. Olympus traditionalists will I think be very pleased with the retro look, new users will be very pleased with the high quality results. field of view, exposure adjustment preview, white balance adjustment preview, gradation setting preview (SAT), face detection preview, Perfect Shot Preview, gridline displayable, 7x/10x magnification possible, MF/S-AF, AF frame display, AF point display, Shooting information, HistogramLike the E-P1, a Movie AE menu allows you to shoot video in Program or Aperture Priority modes or with any of the Art Filters applied in real(ish) time (including the two new ones), but new to the E-P2 is a full Manual option. This allows you to fix the shutter speed and aperture as desired for more creative effects and is a welcome upgrade. I actually really like it that way, because it’s more rugged and not in the way in normal operation.
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