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Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens and Electronic View Finder | 
| Brand: Olympus
List Price: $1,099.99
Buy New: $938.99
as of 9/9/2010 09:39 MDT details
You Save: $161.00 (15%)
New (10)
Rating:  15 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Optical Zoom: 3
Display Size: 3
Maximum Focal Length: 42
Minimum Focal Length: 14
Maximum Resolution: 12.3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.3
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.2 x 4.3
MPN: E-P2 w/ 14-42mm
Model: E-P2 w/ 14-42mm
UPC: 050332172241
EAN: 0050332172241
ASIN: B002UXRG8Y
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | 12.3-megapixel interchangeable lens digital camera; Micro Four Thirds format | | • | Includes 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko digital zoom lens and Electronic View Finder | | • | 3-inch HyperCrystal LCD with Live View function; Continuous Autofocus (C-AF) tracking system | | • | Record HD video with high-quality audio; Full Manual Control of shutter/aperture in Movie Mode | | • | iEnhance to automatically adjust color and contrast for a more dramatic effect | | • | Capture images and video to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included) |
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Product Description
The Olympus E-P2 is a 12.3-megapixel interchangeable lens camera and it blends the high-quality still images of a DSLR with High Definition (HD) video, stereo Linear PCM audio recording and in-camera creativity - all inside an ultra-portable, easy-to-use body. The E-P2 also brings a new twist to the PEN lineup an accessory port which accommodates the included VF-2 electronic view finder or optional external microphone adapter (SEMA-1). M Zuiko Lens ED is world's first retractable mechanism design, this standard 3x zoom lens is extremely compact with an overall length of just 43.5mm.Covering wide-angle to a moderate telephoto suitable to portrait shooting, this lens is suitable for a wide range of applications, including day-to-day shooting and traveling. With a digital-dedicated design as well as multi-coating on all lens surfaces, this Micro Four Thirds lens boasts very high imaging performance.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 15
 Fantastic Walk-Around Camera August 22, 2010
Jeef
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was definitely on the fence about this camera for a while. I currently own a Nikon D60 and a Canon point-and-shoot, and thought I was just buying this camera just because of the need for a new camera body. I was reading forums for such a long time, putting up with probably the snarkiest debates between what brand is better, prime and zoom, etc. and I just went ahead and decided on this camera.
I absolutely LOVE this camera! There's something about the aesthetics of the body, the ease of the menu system (although it takes a little getting used to) that really opens up this camera to experimentation. I'm a sucker for retro styled cameras and this definitely brings old school charm with modern tech. The body is pretty solid too, a nice weight and very sturdy feeling. Personally I find the few number of lenses available to be a little bit relaxing, and not as overwhelming as when I look for lenses for my Nikon.
The electronic view finder is pretty spectacular. You can actually flip the viewfinder up so you can take photos while looking down into it which is pretty useful.
Overall, this is a camera for someone looking for something less complicated, perfectly capable of taking great photos, and a feeling of liberation when taking photos. Only drawback is that the price is almost the same as a mid-range DSLR, but if anything, the compact-ness of this little camera is definitely worth it.
Love this Micro 4/3 camera! August 15, 2010
nuke
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A devout Canon person, it took courage to order an Oly product. After some getting used to the menus and controls, can't put this E-P2 down! Have owned many Canon point & shoot models over the years to supplement a bulky DSLR, but this tops them all. The optional electronic viewfinder is superb, and find myself using the back-of-the-camera viewfinder very little. Especially convenient for one who wears reading glasses, but does not wish the inconvenience of using glasses with a camera, as the menus can be displayed in the diopter corrected viewfinder. Did not even attempt to use the packaged software, as Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS5 open the Olympus RAW files.
 mixed feelings July 31, 2010
Nikola
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have been using E-P2 (with M.Zuiko 14-42mm and Lumix G 45-200mm lenses) for more than two months now, and still have some mixed feelings about it. I updated the firmware immediately after the purchase: body version 1.1, 14-42m lens version 1.1, and 45-200mm lens version 1.2. Bear in mind that values for focal lengths stated above are about 1/2 of their 35-mm equivalents.
I like the relatively small size given the quality and the number of features packed in. The selection of both prime and zoom lenses is now decent, and sensor-based image stabilization of this model means that you don't need to worry whether the lens you are buying has image stabilization or not. The camera feels sturdy and the image quality is close to what I expected for the price I paid: the noise is low in most cases, and the resolution is good.
One of the big reasons for choosing the E-P2 was the ability to connect an external microphone for high-quality stereo sound recording. Unfortunately, the length of a sound memo is limited to 30 seconds, so you will be forced to record a movie even if you are just interested in sound recording. Furthermore, the external microphone connects to the camera through an optional (and pricey) microphone adapter that plugs into the hot shoe, which is then not available for the viewfinder or flash. A simple dedicated microphone jack would have been a more elegant solution. What is also lacking is the manual control over sound level (gain).
The main dial for camera control is of size which is most appropriate for kids' fingers, and I find it very touchy.
The user interface and the software leave much to be desired, even after two months of getting used to it. The menus are convoluted, with multiple ways of changing the same setting - and at the same time customization of many parameters is limited or missing (for example sound level, delay timer, display of icons, and bracketing). Even though the user manual specifies that in the spot-metering mode the "spot-metering area mark" indicates the position of the spot, this mark is not visible on the screen when shooting, and is nowhere to be found in the menus. Sure, it is in the center of the screen, but it would be helpful if it were visible. Similarly, the manual states that setting the focal length of the lens in the image stabilizer menu is disabled for micro-four third lenses, yet I am able to change this value with the micro-four thirds lens attached. I find this detail worrisome and can only hope that it is simply a glitch in the firmware.
There are several - but predefined - options to choose from regarding what information is displayed while shooting. For some reason, only one of these options includes icons for focusing mode, file format, ISO setting, and the bracketing. So, if you want to see the live histogram or the overlay grid while shooting, kiss those indicators good-bye.
The self timer only offers 2 or 12 second delays and a single shot, without custom settings or at least an option for multiple shots. Furthermore, there is no intervalometer, and no option to trigger the whole bracketing sequence. The bracketing feature as far as I was able to tell requires the shutter button to be pressed for each of the shots - this can be a problem if you are trying to get series of nicely registered images for later HDR processing. An option to have the complete bracketing sequence triggered by the timer would be a great plus.
For some reason, "OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA" is forced as the image caption in EXIF data which I have to manually remove (or waste time writing a script) when uploading pictures to online albums to avoid this all-caps self-promotion showing up as the title of the photograph. The EXIF fields for the camera manufacturer and the model already contain the information, thank you.
Naming of functions is often confusing. A typical example is the macro photography: there are "macro" and "nature macro" modes available, and neither the camera menu nor the user manual explain the difference (assuming there is any). The menu comment defines nature macro as "best for close ups of small objects," which leads me to a bizarre conclusion that "macro" setting is for close ups of large objects.
The external electronic viewfinder offers an impressive image quality, but it is also an external piece of gear: something that makes your camera more bulky and adds complexity to handling, something you need to remember to pack with you, and make sure not to lose. I would be much happier if all the engineering and manufacturing efforts related to the viewfinder were used to upgrade the built-in LCD screen which right now offers mediocre quality and resolution.
The movie mode is pretty much useless with the 14-42 mm kit lens that comes with the camera: continuous autofocus is noisy and it keeps fluctuating back and forth while trying to refocus. Panasonic lens (45-200mm) is a different story, with quiet and precise focusing, albeit the 90-mm equivalent at the widest zoom is just too much for most of the movie clips.
All in all, I am fairly happy with the physical design and quality, and greatly annoyed by many details related to the operation and software design. The settings are convoluted and yet do not offer enough flexibility. I hope that at least some of the shortcomings will be addressed in firmware updates.
Not what I'd hoped for July 14, 2010
C. Frank (Denver, CO)
18 out of 21 found this review helpful
I just returned my Olympus PEN e-P2 and I thought I would post a little review for others' edification. A while back, I sold my APS-C outfit (a Canon 20D with lenses) because I wanted something that I felt comfortable carrying around...something that doesn't look like a weapon when it's pointed at you and that i feel comfortable taking on the bus or bike or to social events. It turns out that I sold prematurely as I was convinced that micro 4/3s would be the holy grail. I recently purchased the e-p2 kit with the electronic viewfinder and the 14-42 Zuiko lens. Alas, `twas not what I'd hoped.
I feel that the e-p2 is a lot closer to a highly functional compact camera than it is to a limited functionality SLR. I didn't realize just how key an optical viewfinder (combined with manual focus) is until I tried photographing my kid's track meet or shooting a landscape at night. In both, very different situations, the super-cool little add-on electronic viewfinder (EVF) was basically useless. In order to manually focus, the LCD (or EVF) picks a tiny section of the image and magnifies it so you can manually adjust the focus. The reason it's useless is that by the time you move the focus spot to something that you care about, such as my incredibly cute and talented daughter, she's moved away. In the case of landscape shooting, you have to take it off the tripod to move your view to your point of interest. Both situations were problematic. Also, at night the LCD/EVF were not helpful because those pixels just don't pick up near as much info as your eyes so at night, i just got a bunch of flickering useless pixels.
The e-p2 was great at static daytime objects that didn't require a tripod. The build quality is high, as it ought to be for a camera roughly the same price as a D90 or 50d, and it truly is a very portable stylish little beast. Controls were so-so, the main dial was designed for tiny little baby fingers and that was rather annoying.
If you can accept the limitations I've described, it's a great little camera although priced too high IMHO. I think the picture quality is really very good although I did see a little highlight clipping. The high ISO performance also seems competitive with full-blown SLRs. I really hope that this year's Photokina involves Canon/Nikon unveiling a small, optical viewfinder, interchangeable lens, APS format camera to compete with the m43 cameras because Oly and Panasonic are really onto something with these small cameras.I think the bottom line is that it would be great to have in addition to one's SLR but is no substitute.
Wow, this is a great camera. July 10, 2010
Edward Goldberg
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have been a Cannon user for many years now. Starting with film and moving to Digital. Now I have moved over to the new format. This new camera is great. The best part of the camera is the Video Modes. The still images are very good. But the flexibility of one camera for all modes is a big feature.
I use this camera for White Board Screen shots at work and for classes that I teach on Cloud Computing. As a tool for work it has been a real work horse. Good long battery life and very large SD chip sizes.
Edward M. Goldberg
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e.m.g.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 15
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