The New Kid on the Block, a review of the Olympus E-P2

Sorry, if you already are humming along to "Step by Step" and scanning the page for images of Donnie Wahlberg, you are in for a bit of a letdown. 90s pop music aside, the Olympus E-P2 is the New Kid on the Block in the world of photography representing a brand new, very exciting camera class. So what exactly is this New Kid?

↓ Video walkthrough of the new E-P2

Essentially, the cameras are a happy marriage between DSLRs (bringing image quality, sensor size, and lens selection) and point & shoot cameras (bringing style, portability and LCD shooting mode).

↑ The new camera class is by some being labelled E.V.I.L. -- Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens camera. Not the most flattering acronym.

All in all, the E-P2 is an awesome camera. The lightness, form factor and coolness factor is to die for. Coupled with great image quality (@ ISO 800 and below), truly functional video recording, and the lens freedom of the DLSR-word, you have a very admirable and capable camera.

Read full review of the camera @ Future Shop's tech blog.

Comments

[Roman]

Looks like a great camera. The only thing that really bugs me is the absence of both a viewfinder and a flash. Kind of gravitating towards E-PL1 with a flash. Thinking of selling my T1i, as the lenses are insanely expensive and I am not seeing myself able to buy them anytime soon. What to do Klaus? :) Keep the T1i and be lensless with a bulky but great body or sell it and buy an E-PL1 with a 35mm macro and a 40-150mm lenses?
I am torn :))

[Klaus Boedker]

Hm! tough call. To confuse matters more, or perhaps make the decision even easier, you should also consider the Sony NEX-5. You can find my review of the Sony here:

http://www.seeingthemoment.com/photoblog/2010/8/19/happily-married-a-review-of-the-sony-nex-5.html

Overall a great camera with an even smaller form factor than the Olympus PEN cameras, but still boosts a larger, APS-C size sensor. Because of the larger sensor, the NEX-5 fares slightly better in terms of image quality compared to the E-P2 camera.

Money-wise, I am not sure that Olympus lenses are that much less than similar Canon counterparts. Take the Canon 50mm f1.8, one of the manufacturer's sharpest lenses for less than $150. Now that's pretty good, and it makes for a fantastic portrait lens on your T1i. Here's more on why 50mm lenses rock:

http://www.seeingthemoment.com/photoblog/2009/5/25/50mm-and-more-a-closer-look-at-50mm-lenses.html

Happy shooting!

Klaus