Olympus E-P2
>> Hi, I am Lori Grunin, Senior Editor with CNET and this is the Olympus E-P2. The E-P2 Olympus' slightly more feature-rich and significantly more expensive brother to the E-P1, inherits a lot of what I liked about that camera and some of what I didn't. Another Micro Four Thirds-based interchangeable lens model, it shares the elegant, but functional body design and smooth, natural photo quality of its predecessor. Unfortunately, it shares the slow performance as well. The E-P2 is extremely similar to the E-P1, though it only comes in an elegant shiny black as opposed to the silver and white versions of the E-P1. The most notable addition to the body is an accessory port, which makes it slightly higher. Olympus currently offers two accessories for the port: an add-on tiltable electronic viewfinder that slides into the hot shoe, which comes bundled with the camera. That is nice because on the GF1, it is an extra cost option. Though I am not a big fan of EVFs, the viewfinder is a nice example of the breed and the tilt of the viewfinder makes a big difference in shooting flexibility. The other accessory is an adapter for an external microphone. In addition to that stuff, the E-P2 gives you more control in movie mode over the E-P1, with support for adjusting aperture and shutter speed. For automatic shooters, there is an improved i-Enhance autoadjustment mode that operates a little more intelligently by isolating the elements of the scene it operates on. Olympus also adds a couple of new art filters. Though it is retro from the front, in back it is all digital, with a pretty typical control in menu layout. There is a back dial which has direct-access buttons for ISO sensitivity, white balance, focus mode, and drive mode. There is also a vertical subdial and the combination of the two dials is nice and both feel relatively responsive and comfortable to operate. The camera itself works identically to the E-P1. An info button cycles through a lot of display choices and frankly, some might say too many display choices. You can also pull up Olympus' typical Super Control Panel, an overstuffed display where you can adjust the most frequently needed shooting settings. There is also a much more simplified version in which you cycle around the outer edge of the display to adjust shutter speed, aperture, white balance, drive mode, image stabilization, and so on. For such a compact model, the 14 to 42 mm lens can be pretty sharp. Overall, it delivers about the same shooting experience as you get from an 18 to 55 mm lens on a Canon or a Nikon, with the exception of manual focus. While the E-P2 significantly improves on the serious shutter lag and focus issues of the E-P1, it is still pretty slow. And even in the field it feels awfully slow at saving and displaying images. I found the continuous AF and continuous AF tracking extremely frustrating to use, as well. In addition, the battery life on the E-P2 doesn't last very long. All together, it adds up to a pretty mediocre showing in performance, albeit still better than the E-P1's. On the other hand, it maintains the excellent color characteristics, and exposures are spot on with a solid dynamic range. While I really enjoy shooting with the E-P2, it is not for everyone. As long as you understand its quirks and pace your shooting to its speed, you will probably like it a lot. I am Lori Grunin and this is the Olympus E-P2.
Up Next
Panasonic Introduces New Lumix S5 Mark II and Mark II X Cameras
Up Next
Panasonic Introduces New Lumix S5 Mark II and Mark II X Cameras
GoPro Hero 11 Black Hands-on: Super-sized Sensor for All Your Socials
GoPro Hero 11 Black Hands-on: Super-sized Sensor for All Your Socials
GoPro Hero 10 Black Creator Edition Makes Vlogging So Much Better
GoPro Hero 10 Black Creator Edition Makes Vlogging So Much Better
GoPro Hero 10 Black ramps up resolution, frame rates to 5.3K60, 4K120
GoPro Hero 10 Black ramps up resolution, frame rates to 5.3K60, 4K120
Insta360 Go 2 review: A lot of fun, a lot of confusion
Insta360 Go 2 review: A lot of fun, a lot of confusion
GoPro's Hero 9 Black bulks up on power and performance but not price
GoPro's Hero 9 Black bulks up on power and performance but not price
Digitizing my old Hi8 tape collection
Digitizing my old Hi8 tape collection
iPhone SE or Galaxy A51: Battle of the $400 phone cameras
iPhone SE or Galaxy A51: Battle of the $400 phone cameras
The Mevo Start is a compact cam aimed at HD event streaming
The Mevo Start is a compact cam aimed at HD event streaming
Snap Spectacles 3 bring AR to sunglasses
Snap Spectacles 3 bring AR to sunglasses
Tech Shows
Latest News All latest news
Apple May Give FineWoven Accessories 1 More Season
Apple May Give FineWoven Accessories 1 More Season
US vs. TikTok: What Happens Next
US vs. TikTok: What Happens Next
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
What to Expect at Apple's May 7 iPad Event
What to Expect at Apple's May 7 iPad Event
Did a Week With the Apple Watch Make Me Use My iPhone Less?
Did a Week With the Apple Watch Make Me Use My iPhone Less?
How Google Tests the Cameras in Its Pixel Phones
How Google Tests the Cameras in Its Pixel Phones
Most Popular All most popular
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Latest Products All latest products
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
2025 Audi Q6, SQ6 E-Tron: Audi's Newest EV Is Its Most Compelling
2025 Audi Q6, SQ6 E-Tron: Audi's Newest EV Is Its Most Compelling
Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
Latest How To All how to videos
Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2
Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2
How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro