Olympus Pen E-P2 at a glance

• 12.3-million-pixel sensor
• Micro Four Thirds system
• New electronic viewfinder
• New AF tracking mode
• Street price around £895 with EVF and 14-42mm lens

Scores:

• Features - 8/10
• Build and handling - 7/10
• Metering - 9/10
• Autofocus - 8/10
• Resolution, noise and sensitivity - 27/30
• Dynamic range - 8/10
• Viewfinder, LCD, Liveview and video - 8/10

Tested as: Entry-level hybrid
Rated: Very good
Overall score: 83%

Olympus Pen E-P2 - Introduction

When photographers invest in a new camera system, it is important that there is a full range of lenses, bodies and accessories to allow them to upgrade in the future. With this in mind it is no surprise that both Olympus and Panasonic are rapidly establishing the Micro Four Thirds system by releasing cameras in quick succession.

For example, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 was released in November 2008, and a version with video capture, the GH1, was released just five months later. Six months after this, in September 2009, the company released the GF1, also a Micro Four Thirds system camera but with a more compact body than the G1 and GH1.

Olympus has followed a similar pattern, with the E-P1 released in June 2009 and the E-P2 announced just five months later in November. In fact, as I was reviewing the E-P2, Olympus announced the new E-PL1 only three months after the release date of the E-P2. With such a small amount of time between the launches of the E-P1 and E-P2, there are only a few differences between the two cameras. I was curious to see exactly what the differences are and the advantages the new camera offers.

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