Preview: Is Olympus E-P2 enough of an update?

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The E-P2 is Olympus' newly announced follow up to its first mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera, the E-P1, which also adheres to the Micro Four Thirds Standard (MFT). But while the E-P2 offers some nice enhancements over its line mate, it doesn't seem to address two of the major problems in its almost-identical body. That's too bad, because the E-P1 had serious shutter lag and focus issues. The E-P2 adds AF tracking in continuous autofocus and movie modes, which the company thinks should ameliorate many user complaints, but unfortunately the E-P1's performance woes occurred in single autofocus mode.

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The E-P2 is extremely similar to the E-P1, though it will only come in an elegant shiny black as opposed to the silver and white versions of the E-P1. It'll be available with the same kit lenses, the 14-42mm and the 17mm pancake, with each kit costing about $1,100. The most notable addition to the body is an accessory port, which makes the body slightly higher. One of the first accessories Olympus will offer is an add-on tiltable electronic viewfinder that slides into the hot shoe, which the company will bundle with the camera. That's nice--it's an extra-cost option with the Panasonic GF1. The viewfinder seems pretty good and quite bright and contrasty. The other accessory is an adapter for an external microphone.

It gives you more control in movie mode, with support for adjusting aperture and shutter speed. For automatic shooters, there's an improved iEnhance auto adjustment mode that operates a little more intelligently by isolating the elements of the scene it operates on. The company tweaked its focus-assist mode by linking the manual focus magnifcation to the focus point. Olympus also adds a couple of new art filters. Diorama delivers a simulated tilt-shift lens effect that makes big cities look like fuzzy Lilliputs, and Cross Process thatf simulates color and contrast shifts like those produced by processing film with the wrong chemicals. Like the current crop of Art filters, these will work in movie mode.

Finally, the E-P2 adds CEC support for TV control via HDMI.

Olympus also announced plans to ship a couple of new MFT lenses in the first half of next year, a 9-18mm f4-5.6 (18-36mm equivalent) and 14-150mm f4-5.6 (28-300mm equivalent). My first thought was that both have awfully narrow maximum apertures. I haven't moved past that thought. But pricing is still undetermined; perhaps they'll be really affordable.

Unfortunately, the E-P2 still lacks a built-in flash, so you'll have to choose between using the hot shoe for the EVF or for an add-on flash. That remains a big drawback for potential upgraders from a point-and-shoot. And without overall improvements to the AF system, I can't see how the E-P2 can do much better than its predecessor. Still, that's for us to figure out when we can test it. It's slated to ship in December.