Famous and loved Olympus comes this year with a new point-and-shoot device, known as E-PL2. With a long tradition of producing from good to very good gadgets, we expect this new one to deliver, especially since we have already read numerous reviews stating that it is indeed worth the money. Because we wanted to see for ourselves its value – or lack thereof -, we decided to test the product and here is our opinion. Classic external design
As usual we’ll start our review by commenting on the looks of the latest Olympus camera. Since all of the company’s gadgets are really attractive, there’s no need to emphasize the appealing factor of the new E-PL2, because it’s already there. We’ll only say that the color it ships with is silver with black. As for weight and measurements, the product has a body of 4.5” x 2.8” x 1.6” and a weight of 351g; again, this is not a light or very thin camera, but, well, how many are nowadays? That’s right: not many.Returning to our review, the Olympus E-PL2 looks similar to its predecessor. It looks and feels solid; during our test we dropped it a few times to test its endurance and we were pleased with results: the product remained intact and fully functional. What we found amusing was the following: whenever we put it on the desk, it would overbalance; that’s because it has a 14-42mm msc kit lens that’s to blame.
Some improvements
The top of E-PL2 camera boasts art filters, semimanual, manual and preset automatic modes and movie mode. The automatic mode had a Live Guide feature that is preinstalled with very easy to use shooting tips along with an adjustment interface, making the camera easy to use by beginners. When comparing this model with its predecessors, we noticed the introduction of smaller keys, only one dial (for navigation purposes) and a new Art Frame option; we didn’t have problems with the buttons, but maybe some of the future customers will. Moreover, manufacturers at Olympus thought of recessing the Movie record key in order to prevent accidents when using the camera.
Up to ISO 3200
The back of E-PL2 features a larger LCD display, which we enjoyed thanks to its brightness and because it enabled us to achieve better manual focusing. There’s also a viewfinder, sensor, autofocus, flash, microphone and many more.When talking about performance, the new E-PL2 released by Olympus provides great photo quality, mainly thanks to the great noise reduction feature. Pictures we snapped at ISO 3200 had superb colors and were overall quite usable, unlike other gadgets. Taking photos in both good and bad lighting offered good results. The autofocus was speedy, but image processing still took quite a bit in terms of time. The device started in 0.8 seconds and the time between shots was 1.3 seconds (without flash); burst rate was 3.1fps. Sadly, the autofocus wasn’t improved.
PEN Pal Bluetooth
Videos we shot with this gadget looked mostly OK. As a downside we couldn’t record moving subjects; to counterbalance that, the product didn’t make a lot of noise when filming.The Olympus E-PL2 sports, in terms of other options, the following: PEN Pal Bluetooth module, macro light, connector for an add-on EVF and many more for your enjoyment. The battery life was good.
Test and review conclusions
In conclusion, the Olympus E-PL2 camera is sure to offer very nice photos and videos, but it doesn’t perform that well when it comes to speed.Technical specifications and features
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Sensor Type | Live MOS |
| Flash | Yes |
| Viewfinder Type | LCD only |
| Resolution Width in Pixel | 4032 |
| Maximum | 13.1 |
| Resolution Height in Pixel | 3042 |
| Case | Compact |
| Width | 115.4 |
| Weight | 317 |
| Memory Type | External Only |
| Optical Zoom | 0 |
| Digital zoom | 0 |
| Bluetooth | Not |
| Height in mm | 72.7 |
| Lowest Focal Length in mm | 0 |
| Focal Length in mm | 0 |
| Depth in mm | 42 |
| Megapixel | 12.3 |
| Interchangeable Lens | Yes |
| PictBridge | Not |
| XD | Not |
| Secure Digital | Yes |
| Micro Drive | Not |
| Screen Size | 3 |
| Video Capture | Video + Sound |
| MMC | Not |
| Wifi | Not |
| SDHC | Yes |
| Compact Flash | Not |
| Memory Stick / Memory Stick Pro | Not |
| Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo | Not |
| Internal Memory size in MB | 0 |
| Burst shooting | Yes |
| Ability to save files in RAW | Yes |
| LCD Monitor Resolution in Pixel | 460000 |
| Max Resolution Mode Video Width | 1280 |
| Max Resolution Mode Video Height | 720 |
| Maximum Aperture Tele | 0 |
| Maximum Aperture Wide | 0 |
| Sensor Size | 17.3 x 13.0 mm |
| Battery Type | Olympus BLS-1 |
| Shutter Speed fastest in Second | 1 / 4000 |
| Shutter Speed slowest in Second | 60 |
| Image Stabilizer | Stabilizer Electronic |
| HDMI | Yes |
| Shutter Priority | Yes |
| Aperture Priority | Yes |
| Bridge | Not |
| Debugging | Face Detection |
| SDXC | Yes |
| Number of frames per second in video mode | 30 |