Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black)

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

Spend some time with the manual and you will be able to customize this to your unique preferences.

The main drawback is that the customizable presets of your favorite settings can't be invoked with the twist of a mechanical dial (like the Canon S95 or Panasonic 4/3 cameras.)

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

I'm a casual photographer that takes pictures of...anything. Really, I have no preference on what I take, but there are many moments in life where a camera is necessary to pause the moment.

This camera has been a great spontaneous camera because it's so small. The image quality is great and playing with different settings makes it feel like it's an SLR.

Carrying it around is not a burden...actually, quite the opposite. With a nice leather case, it is a cool looking piece of equipment that you can bring around anywhere.

Since the last DSLR I bought (Canon 350D), cameras have come a good amount of way. Handholding in low light situations is no longer a resistance workout. With the built in sensor-level image stabilization, you can really enjoy taking pictures in a very dimly lit area. ISO performance is pretty good, which allows you to bump up the ISO without getting super grainy pictures.

I like it. It is a great lifestyle camera that is spontaneous as you are. Ok that sounds very "marketing"-ish, but those are genuine words coming from the joy of using this camera.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

I bought this as a walk-around camera for when I don't want to carry my SLR and lenses and also for my wife to use. I was originally looking at the higher end Nikon and Canon point and shoots but discovered that this Olympus was in the same price range (for the basic camera and lens) with a much larger sensor and the ability to add interchangeable lenses also.
I received this with the kit 14-42mm lens and have taken a a couple of hundred test shots to try it out using both aperture priority mode (my usual shooting mode) and also in full automatic mode.
I was blown away by the clarity of the images when I looked at them at 100% resolution in PhotoShop. These were sharp corner to corner both with the kit lens and also with the (not included) 40-150mm lens that I bought separately.
At this price, this camera is hugely better than even the best P&S due to its larger sensor and changeable lenses.
I expect it will suffer a bit in terms of dynamic range with its 4/3 sensor compared to my Nikon D300, though I haven't yet tried them out side by side in a high contrast situation. But even so, I'd be very surprised if this Olympus didn't outperform even the best of the P&S cameras in light/dark range, given its 4/3 sensor and what seem to be very good zoom lenses.
The in-body stabilization seems to work very well, though I haven't yet tried pushing it to its limit in low light or long focal length.
I haven't yet tried it in movie mode, which is not what I bought this camera for. Even if it didn't have a movie mode I would be very happy with this camera based on what I've seen so far.
On the negative side, I cannot get my PhotoShop CS4 software to open the Olympus RAW files. However these open fine in my wife's PhotoShop Elements 10. This is only a minor annoyance because I am able to edit the Olympus RAW files using the Olympus software that came with the camera and which lets me establish a default link to PhotoShop for jpeg editing.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

his is an excellent camera that is a brilliant step up from a basic point and shoot which gives you the capability of a slr and outstanding image quality.Small and easy to navigate this is a definite must have.I mostly use this camera for street journalism it doesnt attract the same attention as a big slr would and i can just slip it in my bag.It allows interchangeable lenses which is great if you looking to chop and change lenses as it pleases you.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

I use this camera on a regular basis and it does what is promised.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

I bought this product as a gift for my dad. The compact size of m4/3 yet better image quality than all the compact cameras convinced me to purchase this camera. Olympus did a good job on the exterior design of the E-PL2. However, I wish that Olympus could make the optional EVF as a standard on the camera body.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

I use this camera mostly for shooting the interior of houses, but also use it for landscape, wildlife, and family/vacation photos. I prefer this camera over a standard DSLR because of it's convenient size and weight. Just like a DSLR there is a great variety of lenses available, and Olympus has created several different accessories that you can choose to use...such as the VF-2 viewfinder or the stereo microphone. Personally, I mostly use the Olympus 12mm f/2 and the VF-2 viewfinder. That combo makes the camera look and feel like a 35mm manual focus camera! It's a lot of fun! One downside is there is no focus assist lamp, so the camera doesn't focus well in very low light situations. Other than that, it's an excellent easy transportable camera that many people will find versatile enough to suite all of their photography needs!

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

I'm an old-school 35mm film kind of guy, but eventually graduated to digital about 10 years ago. I've found the miniature "point & shoots" are capable of producing great results for every day shots and when travelling, but, of course, typically lack the ability to be creative. When the Micro Four Third cameras gained more popularity with semi-professionals and serious amatuers, I loved the idea of acquiring a compact camera with manual controls, a relatively large sensor, capable of using interchangeable lenses. Initially, I planned on buying a Panasonic GF-1, but when it was discontined (what a huge blunder that was), I looked more seriously at the Olympus line-up. With the added refinements and new features the E-PL2 offers over the E-PL1, it was a "no-brainer". I've had it just a week and am still reading the manual every night -- trying to get a grip on the incredible capabilities of this camera. I'm heading to Honolulu in 3 weeks and can't wait to use it there. The engineers at Olympus have done a magnificent job in terms of style, design, control layout, and overall build quality. Buying the E-PL2 was one of the smartes purchases I've ever made.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

A small package to fit in my jacket pocket. Photos as good as my e500.
The sharpness is excellent. The colours are true. Magic. Just invested in an adapter for my good four thirds lens. It can only get better.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

I recently picked up an Olympus Pen e-pl2. The reason being, I broke my collar bone and couldn't carry or lift my normal rig (even trimmed down). And me being without a camera...... well, that's just silly!!!

After shooting with nothing but pro equipment the past 11 years (my film stuff not included), I knew that I would expect too much and fully expected to hate it and saw myself returning it within B&H's generous return period.

I have to say now, that I'm pleasantly surprised at this camera and will certainly be keeping it. It's affordable and the kit lens is not only sharp but has good color and contrast.

Besides being small and having interchangeable lenses (most within a reasonable budget.) it doesn't scream "HEY, STEAL ME!" when you take it out of a bag or jacket pocket. The 14-42 (28-84mm in a 35mm equivalent) is a perfect 'walk -a-round' lens in decent lighting conditions.

It also has some cool built in presets and filters for when you feel like playing around. All-in-all, it is a fun camera with beginner level modes and a lot of good stuff for us old pros too. :-)

One of the neat things about these "Micro 4/3rds " cameras is that the lenses regardless of brand are interchangeable. That being said, there area few lenses that I have my eye on already.

Honestly, if you're n the market for a camera with a small form factor and a kit you can add to, I would check it out. There are so many days that I don't want to carry my gear bag but want to get candids of my kids or just some street photography and this fills that need.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

Small compact and easy to travel with. Very light weight. Lots of features and modes, but a little slow for action shots.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

I was looking for something smaller & lighter than a DSLR and bigger (better handling) than a P&S without sacrificing too much quality as well as with interchangeable lenses. I found the perfect system with the Pen/m43. Chose it over the cheaper E-PL1 because of the wheel that really improves the handling, as everything is much quicker to access. Kit lens is also much better and I'm still surprised at how good it is, compared to something like DSLR kit lenses that usually are "throwaways". That one is not going anywhere. Jpeg output quality is stellar and I don't even care about shooting RAWs anymore. The 3" screen is good enough to focus and that's another reason to go for it. I also like the many customizable options and the fact that the mount is adaptable to many, many other lenses and no need for image stabilization on them as it's already in-body.

All in all, the perfect solution for the quality conscious photographer that's looking at something more portable than any DSLR.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

General Photography
Solid results for a little camera.
Instruction manual, and you will need a view finder eventually.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

I use this for day to day shooting. It is a good little combo, very light, and produces some very nice images. In great light, this is as good as most bigger (larger and heavier) DSLR's. In sub-par lighting, it is still pretty good, but lags a bit form others. Since this cameras bigger and newer brother came out, this little beauty is available for an awesome price, which is a certainly a plus. If the sun is out and bright, you might need the optional viewfinder. It is definitely worth the price if you are looking to try mirror-less and smaller cameras that have a great fun factor.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

This is the third camera I now own to take photos of family, friends, events at work, and when travelling, often including walking all day. My first digital cameras were panasonics (tz and lx), which were easy easy to use and gave consistently good quality small prints, but were a bit slow to use and the images weren't great on a big screen. I chose m4/3 rather than a dslr because I prefer not having to hold a camera in front of my face as it's harder to relate to subjects and shoot unobtrusively, and I didn't want to lug anything large or heavy so I bought a panasonic with a swivel screen and some wider and faster lenses. I use jpegs and corel rather than raw as they're quicker to straighten, crop and adjust colour, contrast and perspective.
I bought this camera to use with the lumix 20mm as it fits into a jacket pocket which makes it easier to carry around, and it looks less threatening. I did try the olympus zoom, but found it wasn't as sharp as the panasonic 14-45 wide open, and needed more stopping down to sharpen corners.
The main thing I really like about this camera (and my canon s90) is the great balance of low noise, sharpness and detail it gives at iso 200 and even 800 in good light - the panasonics all give soft results and don't look natural if processed to this level afterwards.
The other thing is the ability to program the buttons, so I can access the five functions I use most often easily without needing to watch the screen to see what I'm doing (except for the manual focus), so it's almost as easy as it used to be with a 35mm rangefinder and dof scale.
The things I don't mind are the size of the buttons (even though I have large hands), the fiddly rear dial (as I don't use it except to review photos), the slowish focus, especially in low light (as I take longer to compose a photo anyway), and the ridiculously complicated menu that can take a very long series of button pressing to access some functions (eg, colour balance, as I adjust it with corel).
For me, the most objectionable aspects of this camera are the colour cast (always pinkish, which is flattering for people but does need correcting otherwise), the usual underexposure which requires adjusting shadows (and accessing the menu) or overexposing and further limiting the dynamic range (already not as good as the canon, despite a much bigger sensor).
But, even with these shortcomings, this camera and any of the sharp pancake lenses can be carried around more easily than dslrs and used reasonably qietly and unobtrusively to produce colourful and detailed large images, including of people as long as they're not moving too quickly.
While it also gives excellent results with larger lenses (7-14 panasonic, and fast nikon primes), it becomes hard to balance and use, especially at high or low angles.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

I bought the Olympus E-PL2 as an alternative to a larger DSLR camera, such as the Nikon I previously owned. I was looking for great image quality and manual overrides in a smaller format. I also bought the 14-42mm II kit lens. I've been playing around with this camera now for a week and have found it to be more fun by far than my previous DSLR, with as good if not better image quality, and tons of features including 6 in camera Art modes. The camera is solid feeling and the 3 inch high res screen is bright and sharp, except not so great in bright sun. For that you will need the optional (expensive) electronic viewfinder. The menues provide extensive power and flexibility but can be a bit fiddly to navigate. Even so, the camera is fun and easily produces among the best images in its category. The kit lens is also tack sharp and gives a very nice range of focal lengths to play with.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

I've been shooting with an Olympus E-520 for 2 years, but it's a little big for travel and fast lenses for it are pricey. I eagerly awaited the E-P3, but now that it's been released, I see that the E-PL2 does everything I want a camera to do for substantially less money.

Paired with the 20mm 1.7 Panasonic lens, this camera is the perfect night-out or travel camera -- amazing pics in a small size. Looking forward to the upcoming Olympus 45mm 1.8 as well.

On note: Be prepared to spend a few hours learning to use the menus. The manual -- like all Olympus manuals -- is fairly useless, but there are tons of resources online.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

It was finally time for a serious camera upgrade. I had been a loyal Canon user for years and was ready for a change. After much research, I finally decided on the micro 4/3 format and was so sure I was going to purchase a competitor camera. However, once I got my hands on the Olympus PEN E-PL2 and tried it out, I was almost instantly converted. The two major selling points for me (which were different from the competitor) were the built-in pop-up flash and the fact that the image stabilization is camera-dependent and not lens-dependent. I love the shutter speed of the camera, the ability to shoot great in manual and also the digital extras like fun/art filters. So far, the only negative for me is that the "record" button for recording videos is in a location where it gets pressed easily by accident. Some find the fact that there is no viewfinder a negative, but not for me.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

How was my first purchase. I am deeply sorry. The lens is not to give error message. I have to turn on and off several times to return to work. And the battery is too short.

Comments about Olympus PEN E-PL2 Digital Camera (Black) W/14-42mm II Lens (Black):

This is a great little camera that's a joy to use. Couple this camera with pancake lenses from Olympus and/or Panasonic and you have a high quality travel kit that goes anywhere and delivers fine images. The in-body image stabilization works very well with any lens, even those wonderful old rangefinder lenses from established makers.

Low light images aren't bad at all, but the current 12mp sensor is a step behind the best APS sized sensors (in terms of noise performance and dynamic range) from Nikon and Canon. However, It is a giant step ahead of any cell phone or true compact that I have used. Fast lenses help dramatically! Please give us more of them Olympus and Panasonic!

IMHO, at the base ISO, this camera delivers about the best in-camera jpegs - in terms of general color and skin tone - that I have seen. No kidding!