Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver)

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

This is a great second camera for me. I can carry it along with my DSLR or take it as my primary when I traveling. It's compact and discrete and the image quality is great.
The only problem I have is shutter lag. The camera works well in low light up to ISO 1600, but I would be comfortable at ISO 800. Cropping photos is limited due to it's smaller sensor size.

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

i am obsessed with this camera. i have taken the most wonderful photos of my family and of buildings, which were my two main goals. i am not a professional photographer so i think the effects are great.
the camera is smaller than a dslr making it more convenient to carry but i do not think i am giving up quality for that luxury.
i was choosing between this and the canon60d, i am confident i made the right decision after seeing how many succesful photos i already have.

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

I've had great fun taking the EP-2 around and shooting with it, especially shooting video with my array of Olympus 4/3rds lens. Love the big image quality in HD, and amazing sound quality especially using the eternal mike. The Art Modes are interesting, grainy black & white, pinhole, etc. The camera body seems sturdy, although controls are quite packed in there for big boy fingers. The 17mm pancake lens is adorable, fast (2.8) and has a great field of view for all around shooting. My only criticism is the plastic build material of the lens, and the accessory electronic viewfinder. I hope it's durable.

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

I bought it for by husband. He loves it. It did not come with a memory card and so we had to get one separately. It would have been better if it were easier to manually set the aperture and the shutter speed.

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

After shooting film for many years, I finally took the plunge into digital. The camera, a Nikon D200. Eventually, as my wedding business grew, I upgraded to the Nikon D3. This camera could do it all, and the array of buttons and functions were almost endless. This all seemed fairly normal to me, this is just how cameras are right?

Then, when browsing through a little camera store while on vacation, I made a discovery that not only changed the way I took photographs, but it altered my outlook on photography. The camera was a 1937 Leica IIIa, perhaps the most important camera ever created. This was a camera that I felt may have been honed from a solid piece of brass. It felt solid, reliable, you could see that this was made with passion. But it was small, man was it small. And to think, the quality of images that came out of this tiny little camera could match or exceed those made with my massive Nikon F5.

Well I fell in love with the whole rangefinder format. I currently shoot most of my weddings on a Leica MP, with a 1.4/35mm Summilux ASPH, and a 1.4/75mm Summilux. The look that film gives me, the dynamic range, and the workflow, is something that I could never achieve with digital.

I do find however, that digital is extremely useful in some situations I have used various digital cameras to complement my work, but have tried to keep these shots to a minimum. They seemed to stand out from the rest of my work, and not in a good way. What I needed was a camera that I could use my beautiful Leica lenses with, but had all the benefits of digital for when I needed to shoot it. So my options were few and far between. Let's see, we had a Leica M8, and Leica M9, a..........oh wait, that's it. Not much choice really. Now the digital M cameras are a magnificent, and the M9 is the best digital camera available today, for certain applications. But here in Australia, at $9000 (and that's street price, not RRP), it's just not a viable business purchase. Maybe if I was using only a Leica M9, then perhaps, but what I needed was a camera to sit alongside my film body.

And then along comes Panasonic with their first Micro 4/3rds camera. Now, I must admit, I didn't take much notice of the Lumix DMC-G1. It seemed overly bulky, and shaped just like an SLR, it flew under my radar. Then Olympus came out with the E-P1. I M43rds camera, shaped like a traditional film camera, shaped like the old Olympus Pen. Here was a camera, that had interchangeable lenses, it was small, discreet, quiet, and easy to use. Now this was a camera that I was used to shooting. Sure, it didn't have a eye level viewfinder, but with in body stabilisation, it was a breeze to take crisp photos with the camera at an arms length. So I soon tossed aside my Canon G10, and the E-P1 found its way into my wedding kit. With the use of an adaptor, I could easily attach my Leica lense, giving me a lot of the fingerprint in my images that I was accustomed to.

I found the E-P1 produced the most stunning JPEG's, straight out of camera, and the art filters were fantastic.

Then came the E-P2. No big deal I said, it's not that much different. I brushed it aside, a little annoyed with Olympus for bringing a replacement of the E-P1 to the market so soon. But then I tried the VF2 electronic viewfinder, and I immediately new that it was an expensive exercise. There was no way that I was going to be able to resist having a camera just like my E-P1, but with an eye level viewfinder that produced 1.15x magnification, and with over 1 million pixels.

The E-P2 really is a fantastic little camera. It will be overlooked by many amatuer DSLR user's however, that just won't be able to come to terms with the fact that a small camera could possibly compete with their enormous camera's and lenses. The fact is that this camera can not only match, but exceed the image quality of a DSLR. The fact that Olympus don't need to use a reflex mirror (the R in SLR), means that these camera's don't need retrofocus lenses, which means no compromise on lens design, and a much smaller footprint. At 12mp, this camera is able to produce prints the same size as a Nikon D3s, and couple this with the camera's lightweight, small, discreet design, and maybe a Leica lens or two :), and you've got yourself a baby Leica at 1/15th the price.

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

I have large DSLR's and I can always carry this.

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

I'm using E-P1 for 16 months and add E-P2 since I'd like to try optional EVF. A capability to use VF-2 is the bigest difference to E-P1. Image quality of VF-2 is really awesome and therefore this is my best ever camera. Useability, build quality and styling is superb as E-P1.

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

I already owned a Panny GF1, but quite wasn't happy with it. After some serious reading of many reviews and comparisons of EP2, I decided to take the plunge and bought the camera. [...]I have big hands, but the EP2 is comfortable to hold, even though it's lighter than the GF1. The main control dial is easy to use. Powering the camera is quick and the power button is visible especially in the dark. I am impressed with the image quality. Thanks to the 17mm pancake lens. I am happy using the little FL 14 flash, as well.There are a few thing snot to like in this camera. The strap is stiff and a bit hard to install. The inferface is at first confusing, but after a while, it gets easier, but still complicated, if not paying attention to the menu. The built in IS seems to be not as effective, because my daughter took my photo and the picture came out a bit blurry. Overall, I am happy with this little gem.

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

After much consternation about which DSLR to purchase, I decided on the E - P2. During my high school years(60's), I developed an interest in photography only by accident as a result of my mother giving me a Canonet Rangefinder 35mm for my birthday. She thought I might like picture taking. Well, she guessed right and I grew to love photography and truly enjoyed this camera for its color reproduction and sharpness. Then, I graduated to my first SLR in the early 70's when our son was born. I chose the Honeywell Pentax SP500 and grew further in learning about good picture taking. My second SLR was the Nikon F2 and the Nikon 8000S was my third one. And then in the early 2000's I was bitten by digital and still own Canon G5, Canon SD1000, and Sony Cybershot DSC P200. They are all great digital cameras and I continue to use all of them depending on the outing. And then a few years ago, I developed an interest in DSLRs and vacillated about which DSLR to purchase. As good as Canon, Nikon, and Sony are, I decided on the Olympus EP 2 for its size, ergonomics and the excellence of some of the Olympic lenses that are available. I purchased the 17mm 2.8 pancake lens with the body and have been very pleased with its natural color reproduction and sharpness. My next lens will either be the 12-60mm or 14-54mm. Both these lens have excellent reviews by both professionals and consumers. Besides the optics driving my decision, I also like some of the features built into the EP-2. And it's built solid. Since I just took delivery of my camera before Christmas, I stilI have a lot to learn about its operation and have enjoyed the challenge it presents. It's like a little computer! I took over 100 pictures during Christmas and the results only confirm that I made the right decision. I emailed some pictures to my brother in law who shoots with a Nikon D300 and his immediate response was ' WOW, the colors are fantastic.' I purchased the Olympus FL-36R flash with the camera and it has performed admirably. I did have out of focus problems in taking pictures of our Christmas tree that I did not notice until I downloaded my card. I'll be contacting Olympus to provide an explanation as to why. I've experimented with some higher ISOs in both indoor and outdoor settings and the results have been positive. I've only gone up to 800 so there is more testing for me to do. Whatever the results, I'm not one to get overly concerned about high ISO performance. My Canon G5 has performed admirably with its 400 ISO limit and for my picture taking, this ISO level is all I've needed to get the results I want without noise. Most of my picture taking is outdoor landscapes because of our travel.
One more comment about my decision to go with a small DSLR......my pictures will even be better now compared to a P & S and I won't be lugging around a heavy, awkward camera around my neck or over my shoulder as I would if I were shooting film with one of my SLRs. I 'm retired and enjoy convenience and the Olympus E-P2 provides this as well as excellent picture quality.

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

There are good image quality in small body. You can easily get E-P2 for any travel. But two most attractive features of this camera is in-body stabilization and absence of mirror (as result shortest flange focal distance). Both of them allow you to use broad variety of third-party lenses with appropriate adapter of course, even with manual lenses like Voigtlander. Taking shots is very easy due to live viewing and very user friendly interface.
Also E-P2 have some weaknesses: only 12-bit color, slow contrast AF with standart four thirds lenses and sensor-technology is not perfect.
To my opinion, this is the excellent camera for it's prise.

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

This is my first ever DSLR, and although Olympus are not renowned for their intuitive menu systems, I have to say, coming from the Stylus 550SW, I found it to be perfectly approachable. I made the transition due to frustration at a lack of control, and the E-P2 more than fixes that issue.

So far I've been using my new camera as a simple carry-everywhere, shoot-everything addition to my day. I keep both the 17mm pancake lens and the 14-42 zoom lens on me, using the former for landscapes and video (due to the wide angle), the latter for most everything else, and my iPhone for anything too in the moment to change lenses for. It's been an amazing learning experience, and although it's a little on the expensive side I would definitely recommend it as a first SLR. Things that are particularly great about it:

+ the E-P2 is both compact and light. If you're not carrying loose change or keys you can pocket the body in one side of your jeans and a 4/3rds lens in the other, meaning it really does go anywhere.
+ the screen adjusts very rapidly to anything you do to the settings. What you see is most often what you get.
+ if you don't have time to get the perfect set-up but you have the right lens, the auto mode turns out pretty amazing shots in all but the darkest of environments.
+ having said that, it generally produces pretty warm output even in manual, which is great most of the time.
+ My ability is vastly outmatched by what this thing can do, but I don't feel as if I'm being shut out, if anything it makes experimentation feel natural and rewarded.
+ it's a fairly unusual shape for an SLR but it feels really natural in the hand.
+ the style of the body is amazing. I've had professional photographers coo over it ever since I got the thing.

- the battery life is okay, but if you're going away for a week you'll want to take your charger, which is hardly as slim as the rest of the kit.
- the scene modes aren't all that. So far, I feel as if they're made pretty redundant by the other modes.
- you'll want to apply the firmware update as soon as you buy it, the increase in response time is astounding. Without it, the E-P2 is a little bit on the sluggish side.
- sometimes the autofocus does seem a bit indecisive. Switching to manual is easy and productive, though.
- maybe it's just lack of experience, but the obscenely high iso is all very well, it just tends to produce an awful lot of noise. I (like, I suspect, many others) try to keep the iso as low as possible at any given moment, and this camera certainly helps to enforce that position.

Despite the obvious omission of flash or viewfinder, in day-to-day use the only things that I really wish the E-P2 had are built in GPS or wireless transmission of photos. Otherwise, I'm more than content and all in all it's a great camera, and a natural progression from a compact point-and-click to a more complex and exciting approach to photography.

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

great camera but the E-p1 cost less and their is really no difference except a few more art filters in the E-P2

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

In the new world of today's digital cameras, there probably is not "one camera that fits all". The Olympus E-P2 will not fit all. It is a great camera, technologically and optically superb, but it requires a knowledgeable operator to take advantage of its rich feature set. It is probably designed for the advanced amateur (or better), and will be a great second camera for many photographers in this group. The primary advantages of this camera appear to be (1) small size, (2) ability to collect RAW files, and (3) control by the photographer of a full set of advanced photographic options. If this is not your objective, look at other cameras, including the Olympus E-PL1, which is considerably cheaper, and provides a menu driven guide for automatically setting the camera options, with about the same optical and digital technology features.

I bought this camera as a "travel" camera, with all three capabilities listed above as selection criteria. For convenience, it will replace a backpack of DSLR cameras and lenses when I travel. I have conducted extensive tests of the E-P2 results over a broad range of features and difficult shooting conditions over the last few weeks. This has included testing the included Olympus Master 2 software, as well as my preferred Apple iPhoto and iMovie software. I have not discovered any software compatibility problems with the Olympus (*.ORF) raw files. The Apple software will not display all of the EXIF information for the *.ORF files. The Olympus Master 2 software will not display Nikon *.NEF files at all. All of the *.JPEG files, regardless of the source camera, are transparent, and work fine.

I initially purchased the 17 mm. f2.8 pancake lens with the camera, then added the 14-42 mm. f3.5-f5.6 zoom. (Double the focal length to estimate 35 mm. equivalent: 17 mm. = 34 mm., etc.) The 17 mm. is superb, and the f2.8 to f22 range is an excellent tool, easily set with a command dial without using menus. The 14-42 mm. delivers excellent optical quality, but it has limited zoom range (28 to 84 mm. equivalent), and is unbalanced (long & heavy up front).

There is also a discernible difference in the focusing speed for the two lenses: the 17 mm. is faster, and under most lighting conditions is no slower than a mid-range DSLR. The 14-42 mm. is noticeably slower, with the display waiting for several seconds under some rather average lighting conditions. Focus accuracy is good for both lenses. The 14-42 mm has slight barrel distortion at 14 mm. I have been frustrated at times trying to use a 42 (84 equivalent) mm. at a maximum f5.6, but that is worth the compromise for small size. I have loaded issue 1.1 firmware for the camera and both lenses using Olympus Master 2 software.

Movies are shot in AVI motion JPEG, and you should review compatibility with your intended movie editing software. In general, AVI is a problem on a Mac, and may require some work-arounds. With a late 2009 Intel iMac, I did fine with Iphoto and iMovie, but I had to learn some manual steps the hard way. However, loading movies into the Olympus Master 2 software is automatic, but that software has very limited video editing capability.

This camera has most, if not all, of the customized features that an advanced user would expect. I found the menus and customization no more difficult than most DSLR cameras. You can also configure a couple of "preset" feature sets, to instantly recall your typical settings. I would recommend this camera to an advanced user, or to a serious photographer willing to learn. I believe that is the target market for this camera.

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

I wanted something relatively compact and light for those times when even a small dSLR was just too much to carry around, but wanted better quality than a point & shoot. I think I've found it in the E-P2.

The ergonomics and form factor work well for me. The Olympus 17 f/2.8 pancake lens is tiny, and has just about the right angle of view for a general purpose camera.

Jpegs straight out of the camera are very nice, and even cropped look good. The pattern metering and autofocus systems are amazingly accurate, and the auto white balance works the way I would want it to. The in-body image stabilizer works.

Comments about Olympus E-P2 Pen Digital Camera (Black) w/ M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Silver):

From the moment I first saw the ads for this E-P2 I had to have one. I used a Leica for years and always regretted letting it go. I could never rationalize buying a digital one, but the E-P2 is a great option. I like the feel and while the shooting process is different vs. the Leica, what isn't with digital, the camera system changes my "eye" when looking for shots and that is what I was after - a rangefinder or close facsimile. It is just more fun! The image quality is great! I would buy it again.