One figure hidden away in every SLR's spec is the size of the viewfinder (often in a format that makes comparison between competing models impossible).

Just like Fujifilm's X100, the Olympus PEN E-P1 generated a lot of excitement at its launch thanks to its elegant traditional styling. Gripped in the palm, the immediate impression is that, in its black incarnation, the E-P2 looks closer to the more conventionally styled and modernistic GF1 from Panasonic - also available in black. There are some other information display options that can be activated including one that indicates highlight and shadow clipping and a multi-view display that shows four-up comparisons of changes in white balance and exposure compensation. 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. Good exposure and white balance on this interior hand-held panning shot, but the overall quality of E-PL2 video fails to match the high standard of its stills.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. The movie recording specification has also been significantly upgraded, and the E-P3 can now capture full HD 1080i60 movies in AVCHD format. Like the Lumix G1 and GH1 before it, this allows the VF-2 to deliver a highly detailed image which is a joy to compose with, and which makes manual focusing much easier.

The EVF now has its own newly included port, situated just below the E-P2's hotshoe and protected as on Panasonic's own Micro Four Thirds system GF1 - this camera's closest rival - with a slide-off piece of plastic that will quickly get lost in the recesses of your camera bag. It's quite stiff to turn, which, while it means users can't quite race through the settings, is unlikely to get jogged when fetching the camera out of a sizeable jacket pocket or camera bag. The E-P2 represents almost as subtle an enhancement as the company's E-450 does, compared to the remarkably similar E-420. As before, a sliding catch on the zoom ring allows rotation beyond the 14mm stop which completely retracts the extending barrel into the main housing.Fujifilm's newest camera aims to bring modern AF, improved sensor stabilization and video recording technology into the medium format realm.

Significantly because, in an age in which the major electronics giants are building their photographic presence, Olympus is one of only a handful of companies with genuine heritage to turn to. Olympus has addressed many of the key criticisms of the older models, to the extent that we'd be tempted to say that the E-P3 is finally the camera that the PEN has always promised to be. A compressed 12-bit RAW option is also available, accompanied by a JPEG if desired at a variety of resolutions. The control layout has been revised too, most notably by the addition of direct movie record and display magnification buttons - indeed overall it's now much more closely related to the E-PL line than the older E-P models. New to the E-P2 is an AF tracking mode, which allows you to place a target over a desired object, after which the camera will follow it while the shutter release remains half-pressed.While the GF1’s screen is preferred under ideal conditions, it is however important to note the Olympus screen remains more visible in direct sunlight thanks to lower reflections. Using the lens in C-AF mode while shooting movies the near silent focussing means there’s none of the distracting whirring and buzzing that frequently mars the audio on many compacts and SLRs. Just Posted: Although it retains its predecessor's styling, the Olympus PEN E-P3 shares very little else with its forebears. If you don’t want to permanently disfigure your JPEGs, it’s also possible to apply any of the Art Filters to the E-PL2’s RAW files using the supplied Olympus Master software. The addition of an accessory port isn't usually the sort of thing that excites us but, when it allows the use of such a good electronic viewfinder, it does make quite a big difference.

Despite sharing exactly the same body design and controls though, the new black finish really does give the E-P2 quite a different look to the silver or white E-P1. pancake prime offers a wider maximum aperture than the kit zoom, is about half as long when collapsed and much smaller when extended and, at 71g weighs about a third less. The VF-2 really came into its own when bright sunlight made the screen harder to view, or at times when we wanted a more detailed look at the subject – the fine detail also makes manual focusing much easier. Although the accessory port can be used for a variety of add-ons - an adapter for an external stereo microphone being the other option currently available - its main use is likely to be to allow the use of the VF-2 viewfinder.It’s more comfortable to operate the zoom (or the focus ring when focusing manually) with your index finger on top and thumb on the bottom of the zoom ring where you can leave them while shooting or move your left hand to the left side of the body for extra support. The mono mic is positioned to the right of the hotshoe, at the point where the top panel levels off. In the PASM modes this displays, among other things, the exposure settings at the bottom of the screen flanked by the currently selected shooting mode and the remaining picture capacity. A further means of navigating these options is presented by a familiar command pad to the right hand side of the backplate, with ‘OK' (or set) button at its centre and a Canon PowerShot-style scroll wheel encircling its edge.