Open aperture performance is excellent at all focal lengths, sharpening up still further as we approach f/8. It is a credit to the lens maker that by the time we reach f/22 the difference in sharpness is quite marked. This is due to diffraction effects and reveals that we have here a high quality optic. A poor lens would tend to get better the more it is stopped down, rather than the classic rise and fall pattern that we have here. Quality is well held across the frame. Removing the mirror box from the design also means that there is no longer any requirement to make wide angle lenses retro focus designs. The rear element of the lens can be almost touching the sensor if necessary and this frees the designer to make lenses more easily so quality can in theory be improved and size reduced. The same applies when comparing Leica rangefinder lenses to any typical modern DSLR lens. The rangefinder lenses are much smaller. The 22 scene modes include Portrait, e-Portrait, Landscape, Landscape with Portrait, Macro, Sports, Night Scene, Night Scene with portrait, Children, High key, Low key, Digital Image Stabilisation, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Documents, Panorama, Fireworks, and Beach and Snow. An additional three scene modes are provided for use with the fisheye, macro and wide converter. On the downside, if you’re shooting fast sequences you’ll have to turn off Review mode, because of course this will interrupt visibility, unlike with a DSLR.

That said, for the number of other people we showed it to who enthused about its quality, there were an equal number who couldn’t see the point. There’s also the undeniable fact it adds considerably to the price of the E-P2, so you have to ask yourself if you really want it. There are of course a number of other benefits to the E-P2 over the E-P1, but if you’re not bothered about the VF-2, you could save yourself a great deal by going for the older model without missing out on too much. Alternatively if you can’t afford the VF-2 today, but don’t want to rule out the possibility of using it in the future, you could always go for the more recent Olympus EPL-1 instead, which features the same accessory port as the E-P2, not to mention a new popup flash, albeit with a smaller screen and more basic controls. The E-P2 is sold as a kit; body, electronic viewfinder, and a Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom. Optical quality seems quite fine, but I am not a big fan of this lens for several reasons. Following the accessory port, the other enhancements to the E-P2 over the E-P1 are more modest, although still useful. Arguably the most important of them concerns improvements to the autofocus, at least in terms of capabilities if not actual speed.I can now shoot infrared handheld, aided by the in body image stabilisation, with no need for tripods or long exposures. This has broadened the range of subjects and lighting conditions I can now shoot in infrared, from trees and woodland scenes to landscapes and seascapes and even street scenes and portraits. No wonder it was NEVER discussed or even shown in a photo here in this review or any other endorsed review... it is an EPIC FAIL. The Olympus E-P2 lets you dial in shutter speeds of up to 60 seconds and has a Bulb mode as well for exposure times as long as 30 minutes, which is very good news if you are seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 1/6th seconds at ISO 1600. We've included a 100% crop to show what the quality is like. Another very welcome addition is a built-in autofocus illuminator light, in the form of a bright orange LED on the front of the camera (previous PENs were notorious for their reluctance to focus in low light). The autofocus system has been updated too, with 35 zones covering most of the image area. The movie recording specification has also been significantly upgraded, and the E-P3 can now capture full HD 1080i60 movies in AVCHD format. As before though, shooting movies with the more intensive Art Filters (such as the new Diorama or older Grainy B&W and Pinhole options) will greatly reduce the frame rate with jerky results.

Image quality is up to the high standard set by the E-P1, with some of the best JPEG output we've encountered on any camera. Understandably the high ISO performance isn't quite up with those DSLRs that have APS-C sized sensors but it's not far off and, so long as you avoid the ISO 100 setting, the dynamic range is perfectly good, too. I will never forget the first time I saw an image appearing out of the developer tray. My first camera was a Zenit E which I got from my uncle. I then moved on to a Praktica MTL3, which I used for years. The opportunity to pursue my interest in photography dwindled due to life commitments until the arrival of digital. The new Diorama Art Filter applies a tilt-and-shift effect which blurs much of the image, leaving a sharp strip in the middle. This in turn delivers the miniaturisation effect much-loved by owners of exotic tilt / shift lenses. The Cross Process Art Filter applies vibrant colour and contrast effects to achieve a stark and dramatic looking image. You can see examples above of both Art Filters applied to our standard outdoor test composition. Like earlier Art Filters, you may love or loathe the effect, but again they don’t do anything you can’t achieve in software later. For examples of the other six Art Filters, see our Olympus E-P1 review. As we've already seen, the only significant difference (beyond the color) between the E-P1 and E-P2 is the bulge beneath the hot shoe that provides space for the accessory port. Ergonomics are identical, with a good thumb roller (the silver rectangle visible at the top right-hand corner), and a tiny, less useful dial around the edge of the four-way controller.Like the E-P1, a Movie AE menu allows you to shoot video in Program or Aperture Priority modes or with any of the Art Filters applied in real(ish) time (including the two new ones), but new to the E-P2 is a full Manual option. This allows you to fix the shutter speed and aperture as desired for more creative effects and is a welcome upgrade.

My two weeks working with the E-P2 were spent in the cold of a Toronto winter and the warmth (relatively speaking) of the California desert. After some 500 frames in both situations I found the E-P2 to be a solid shooting companion and an enjoyable camera to use.

Overall conclusion

images (100% with Live View) with BLS-1 and Toshiba Class 6 SDHC 4GB card under CIPA testing standard The Art Filters have been expanded dramatically too, with a number of additional filters plus the ability to tune their looks and add effects such as frames and even a digital 'starburst' filter on point highlights. There's also a new tonal control that allows you to manually adjust shadow brightness independent of overall exposure. Last, but by no means least, the menu system has finally benefited from a substantial makeover, and is not only much easier on the eye, but easier to find your way around too. Olympus E-P3 key specifications: I actually really like it that way, because it’s more rugged and not in the way in normal operation.

It is unfortunate that no lens hood is provided, but fortunate that the lens is very resistant to flare. It is also commendably free of distortion. At wide angles there is little distortion and only very mild pincushion creeps in as we zoom towards the telephoto end. What distortion there is is not readily visible in most images, even architectural subjects. White Balance is another area where performance is exemplary. The Auto setting covers very nicely for over 95% of the time, but for those situations where perhaps one colour is dominant the offered pre-sets deliver the goods. This of course assumes that we are discussing JPEG capture, as RAW shooters will be able to adjust the white balance to taste after the event. It is quite interesting that Auto White Balance seems to have a much wider range and can now seem to cope to some degree with even tungsten (incandescent) light. DxOMark provides objective, independent, RAW-based image quality performance data for lenses and digital cameras to help you select the best equipment to meet your photographic needs. The flash itself is an impressive and handsome piece of engineering. Expertly concealed in the top left corner of the camera body it’s mechanically activated by a small sliding switch at the rear. A double-hinged mechanism elevates it both upwards and forwards raising it well clear of the lens and reducing the potential for red-eye and vignetting. The development of the mirrorless interchangeable lens camera has been fast and led by keen consumer interest and demand. Removing the mirror box reduces the size of camera bodies and lenses considerably, giving us the promise of DSLR quality with compact camera size. Olympus has been at the forefront of this revolution, combining its Micro 4/3 format with the retro appeal of the Pen SLR design. We look at the latest offering in this range, the E-PL2, a light and compact alternative to the DSLR, providing of course that the quality level is there to match that of the larger cameras.

Specifications

The Olympus E-P2 is a compact camera with a DSLR-sized sensor and removeable lens mount. Announced in November 2009, it’s an enhanced version of the E-P1 launched just five months earlier. Like that model, the E-P2 is based on the Micro Four Thirds standard jointly developed by Olympus and Panasonic to deliver DSLR quality and flexibility without the size, weight and perception of difficult operation. The detail and clarity of the VF-2 are excellent and even skeptics of slotting a large accessory onto the top of a camera that's meant to be small are easily won-over. The ability to remove the viewfinder and carry it only when you need it, for working in bright light when the rear screen might not be visible or when you want the steadier shooting position that a viewfinder brings, justify the approach. In principle it also means that only customers who want to pay for the viewfinder have to pay for it. Viewfinder size The Olympus E-PL2 is equipped with six Art Filters, Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, and the new Dramatic Tone. Art Filters apply digital special effects to images, and while you can achieve the same results in software afterwards, the opportunity to do it in-camera is obviously more convenient. 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 Diorama Art Filter applies a tilt-and-shift effect which blurs much of the image, leaving a sharp strip in the middle. This in turn delivers the miniaturisation effect much-loved by owners of exotic tilt / shift lenses. In more recent history there are the remains of cleared and abandoned villages which stand as testament to turbulent times. The sadness and the atmosphere in these places is tangible and thought-provoking. The weather plays an important part in my inspiration as we can easily have four seasons in one day. Because of this, the light is constantly changing, which presents both challenges and opportunities. The E-PL2 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera of plastic and aluminium construction, utilising the Micro Four Thirds format. The 4/3in Live Mos sensor sports 12.3MP and the output is viewed in Live View on the 460,000 dot 3 inch HyperCrystal LCD.