Olympus PEN E-P2

The Olympus Pen E-P2 announced on 5 November 2009 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

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)
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

Further information: List of Micro Four Thirds system cameras

The E-P2 was replaced in Olympus' PEN line by the Olympus PEN E-P3 which was announced in June 2011.

See also

• Olympus PEN E-PL1

External links

Media related to Olympus E-P2 at Wikimedia Commons

• Olympus PEN EP-2 Product Site