Olympus PEN E-P2
The Olympus Pen E-P2 announced on 5 November 2009[2] is Olympus Corporation's second camera that adheres to the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system design standard. The E-P2 succeeds the Olympus Pen E-P1 a little over five months after the introduction of the EP-1.
 Olympus PEN E-P2 shown with the Olympus M.Zuiko 17 mm lens and optional electronic viewfinder | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Type | Micro Four Thirds, interchangeable lens camera |
| Intro price | $1199.99 |
| Lens | |
| Lens | Micro Four Thirds system mount |
| Sensor/medium | |
| Sensor | Four Thirds System 18×13.50 mm Live MOS |
| Maximum resolution | 4032×3024 (12.3 megapixels) |
| Storage media | Secure Digital card |
| Focusing | |
| Focus modes | Single, continuous, manual |
| Focus areas | 11 area contrast detect auto-focus, selectable |
| Exposure/metering | |
| Exposure modes | Program, shutter-priority, aperture-priority, manual |
| Exposure metering | Digital ESP metering, Centre weighted average metering, Spot metering |
| Metering modes | ESP multi patterned, center-weighted average (60%), spot (2%) |
| Flash | |
| Flash | hot shoe allows for external flashes |
| Shutter | |
| Shutter | 1/4,000 to 60 s, 30 minutes bulb |
| Continuous shooting | 3 frame/s |
| Viewfinder | |
| Viewfinder | live preview |
| Optional viewfinders | Olympus VF-1 (optical), Olympus VF-2 or VF-3 (electronic) |
| Image processing | |
| Image processor | TruePic V |
| General | |
| Video recording | 720p video at 30 frames per second (frame/s)[1] |
| LCD screen | 3-inch 230,000-pixel TFT LCD on screen with live preview |
| Battery | Olympus BLS-1 Lithium-ion battery |
| Dimensions | 121×70×36 mm (4.7×2.8×1.4") |
| Weight | 335 g (11.8 ounces) |
Features
The EP-2 addresses some of the concerns that critics had about the EP-1: slow autofocus speed and difficulty seeing the LCD panel under certain (e.g., bright, sunny) conditions.
The autofocus speed was addressed with a firmware update, and the introduction of new lenses, although critically, the autofocus speed does not improve much with the originally issued 14–42 mm ƒ/3.5–5.6 kit zoom lens (28–90 mm equivalent), or the 17 mm ƒ/2.8 (34 mm equivalent) pancake lens.
The EP-2 added an Accessory Port, a power and communication port, which allowed the use of various accessories, such as an external stereo microphone for HD video recording. However, the principal use of the accessory port was a new, high resolution, optional hotshoe mounted VF-2 electronic viewfinder (EVF). The VF-2 had a flip angle eyepiece, allowing viewing from 0–90 degrees. The high resolution VF-2 had specifications that matched the highly acclaimed built-in EVF on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, the first MFT camera ever introduced.
In the United States the E-P2 MSRP with 14–42 mm kit zoom lens, and VF-2 EVF, was US$1,100. The accessory VF-2 EVF was also available separately for $280.00. Available body colors were black and silver.
Differences from predecessor
The primary differences between the E-P2 as compared to the E-P1 which it replaced are:
- Addition of an Accessory Port that can be used for an electronic viewfinder or external microphone
- Two new Art filters-simulating Diorama and Cross process in camera
- Black finish widely available, silver finish available in Japan
- Auto focus tracking
- Colour boosting function named i-Enhance
Successor Model
The E-P2 was replaced in Olympus' PEN line by the Olympus PEN E-P3 which was announced in June 2011.
See also
References
- E-P2 Specs, America: Olympus, retrieved 4 September 2011.
- "Olympus launches E-P2 Micro Four Thirds camera". Digital Photography Review. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
