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When capturing images in infrared with my EP2 I nearly always use aperture priority. I also always create a new custom white balance from any uniform green area, e.g. grass. I do this as the light changes when I am in the field. This enables the camera to capture the best range of tones in the infrared image. All the top panel controls are neatly positioned on the recessed right side. The surface then slopes upward, levelling off to accommodate the hot shoe and behind it the updated PEN accessory port which supports the optional viewfinders, the MAL-1 macro light and Penpal PP-1 Bluetooth transmitter. The mono mic is positioned to the right of the hotshoe, at the point where the top panel levels off. On the extreme left is the pop-up flash, activated by a mechanical switch on the rear. The top surface is finished in the same textured plastic as the hand grip and, like everything about the E-PL2, is evocative of the kind of quality that’s more often associated with the analogue era. Auto, Red-eye reduction, Slow synchronisation, 2nd curtain and slow synchronisation, Fill-in for exclusive flash
I found exposure with the E-P2 to be spot-on most of the time. When it isn’t (and there’s a live-view histogram available), the exposure compensation button and the right-rear thumb wheel fall nicely to hand. Switching to RAW mode we measured 10 frames in a fraction over four seconds for a marginally slower speed of 2.5fps. This remains better than most compacts, but slower than a typical DSLR at this price point. In terms of a self-timer, there’s two and 12 second countdowns, and you can now also use a remote shutter release in the USB port.Contrast Detection AF system (when non high-speed contrast AF compatible lens is used, it works as MF assist) Launched in January 2011, the Olympus E-PL2 is the latest addition to the ‘PEN’ stable of mirrorless interchangable lens, or ‘EVIL’ (Electronic Viewfinder, Interchangeable Lens) cameras. Rather than replacing the E-PL1, the new model sits above it in the Olympus Micro Four Thirds PEN line up, beneath the E-P2. I did no formal testing per se, but found image quality to be on a par with the Panasonic Four Thirds cameras that I have been working with for the past 18 months. High ISO shots, up to about ISO 1600, were fine for non-critical prints, and up to ISO 400 produced exhibition quality images even in gallery sized prints. On the one hand we have a small and rather fiddly camera that needs some considerable care in operation. On the other hand we have a very compact unit that can deliver the very highest quality of results, and this must in the end be what counts. For travel this has to be a very serious contender, offering as it does the prospect of lightening the load to be carried and reducing its bulk as well. There are alternatives as this market expands, but it may well be down to handling and the various options need to be handled to see what suits best. This camera is definitely worth its price and could be the basis of a very effective compact kit. Olympus traditionalists will I think be very pleased with the retro look, new users will be very pleased with the high quality results. The pop up flash unit has to be manually deployed and offers high speed and fill flash as well as wireless flash options with compatible external flash units. Several channels are provided for use in group situations. The external flash units can be triggered by the camera's own built in unit.
Like the Art Filters, i-Enhance can also be applied after the event to RAW files processed with the supplied Olympus Master software, and with a choice of three levels too. But like the two new Art Filters, this option disappears when you open an E-P1 RAW file in the same software. The contrast detection AF is surprisingly fast, snapping cleanly into focus and proving highly reliable. Even fast moving objects are focused correctly. Various points across the frame can be selected as required or the centre point only used to select the focus point. The one handling difficulty is the small size of the camera, and sometimes it can be slightly annoying to attempt to change an aperture and find we are actually changing the focus point instead. As previously noted, operation of the camera does need care. The knurled thumb wheel on the right side of the body, on the other hand, is far too easy to turn accidentally. It would have been much better (though a bit more costly) to make it a push-in-and-turn design. The now ubiquitous circular thumb wheel is a bit too small, and many times the difference between wanting to spin it with ones thumb, or press it inwards to select a setting such as ISO or AF modes, is made by accident. It’s hopeless with gloves on.The size of human hands is a limiting factor in the design of many products, and in the case of digital cameras its necessary to strike a balance between small size, the ergonomics of the devices controls, and practical issues such as screen and control size and positioning. The E-P2 gets it pretty much right, offers a good compromise by being large enough to hold comfortably yet not so small as to make control use problematic. The camera’s metal tripod bush is located slightly to the right of centre on the bottom panel which means the lens mount is mostly to the left of it. It nonetheless provides a pretty stable base for a tripod. Alongside it on the right is the battery and memory card compartment, the latter supporting SD (HC and XC) formats, with Class 6 recommended to support HD movies and burst shooting. field of view, exposure adjustment preview, white balance adjustment preview, gradation setting preview (SAT), face detection preview, Perfect Shot Preview, gridline displayable, 7x/10x magnification possible, MF/S-AF, AF frame display, AF point display, Shooting information, Histogram
That the E-PL2 has a built-in flash is taken by many a sign that this is a ‘step up’ camera – aimed at high-end compact owners looking to move up a notch in terms of control and versatility. Neither of the two cameras that sit above the E-PL2 in the PEN range has a built in flash and nor does Sony’s NEX-5/3, but the Lumix GF2 does. Following the accessory port, the other enhancements to the E-P2 over the E-P1 are more modest, although still useful. Arguably the most important of them concerns improvements to the autofocus, at least in terms of capabilities if not actual speed. The E-P1 managed to fit most of the company's excellent E-620 DSLR into a comparatively small, beautifully styled metal case in a way that appealed to far beyond the camera-geek demographic. It was not without its problems, however - the main one being its autofocus system that was rather sluggish when compared to Panasonic's G-series. Also its control system, inherited wholesale from the E-System Four Thirds DSLRs, didn't always perfectly translate to the way its buttons are laid out (The newer, simpler E-PL1 and firmware updated Panasonics make this more apparent than it was at the time of review). The Olympus E-PL2 features the same movie modes as the E-PL1 with the choice of either 640×480 (VGA) or 1280×720 (720p HD) video recorded at 30fps and encoded using the Motion JPEG format then stored in an AVI wrapper. You’re looking at about approximately 1MB per second of footage in the HD mode, with each clip limited to a maximum file size of 2GB; Olympus estimates this will get you around seven minutes of HD footage or 14 minutes in the VGA mode. Olympus recommends using a Class 6 SD card or faster to support HD movies; you can see two examples of the HD movie mode below using the 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 kit zoom lens; the first clip was handheld and in fully automatic with stabilisation enabled. DxOMark provides objective, independent, RAW-based image quality performance data for lenses and digital cameras to help you select the best equipment to meet your photographic needs.The E-PL2 has built-in sensor-shift image stabilisation. The one obvious advantage of incorporating stabilization in the camera body is that you can take advantage of it regardless of the lens you’re using. If you’re thinking of buying an EVIL camera as a compact alternative to your dSLR, the ability to use your current lenses with an adaptor and still be able to take advantage of image stabilisation is a significant advantage that the E-PL2 has over the Sony NEX and Panasonic Lumix models. Just like Fujifilm's X100, the Olympus PEN E-P1 generated a lot of excitement at its launch thanks to its elegant traditional styling. And, in common with the X100, the shooting experience didn't always live up to the high expectations that its classic looks might have engendered. The E-P2 was a slight reworking of the E-P1, doing little more than adding the ability to use the excellent VF-2 electronic viewfinder, and could still be a slightly slow and awkward camera to actually use. It is unfortunate that no lens hood is provided, but fortunate that the lens is very resistant to flare. It is also commendably free of distortion. At wide angles there is little distortion and only very mild pincushion creeps in as we zoom towards the telephoto end. What distortion there is is not readily visible in most images, even architectural subjects. The E-PL2 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera of plastic and aluminium construction, utilising the Micro Four Thirds format. The 4/3in Live Mos sensor sports 12.3MP and the output is viewed in Live View on the 460,000 dot 3 inch HyperCrystal LCD.
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