Fridae

Five months have passed since Olympus announced its first Micro Four Thirds camera, the E-P1. Today, the firm unveiled the second shooter to employ the new imaging standard, the E-P2. For those wondering whether the E-P1 will be discontinued, the answer is no. Come December, it will be sold alongside its sibling. However, competition from Panasonic's GF1 may pose a threat to the E-P2.

Same Design, Almost Similar Features

The instant we set eyes on the 12-megapixel E-P2, we were immediately reminded of the E-P1. This is because the new snapper looks exactly like the previous version, although it will be in only a classic black body (E-P1 is in silver or white). The button layout and menu interface remain identical, too.

We were also surprised that Olympus didn't include an onboard flash in the E-P2. The firm said it wanted to retain the look of the Pen cameras, hence built the snapper within the chassis of the E-P1.

Nonetheless, the new shooter feels solid in our hands, and having reviewed the E-P1, we were comfortable handling the E-P2. We also had the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 with us for some comparison shots (see right). Size-wise, the E-P1, E-P2 and GF1 aren't very much different.

High-Resolution Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)

As with the GF1, the new Pen digicam has a port below the hotshoe for users to attach the VF-2 EVF. This accessory has a super-high resolution of 1.44 megapixels, almost seven times that of the Panasonic's. We tried the VF-2 and found the view to be extremely sharp and clear. There is also a diopter corrector to accommodate short/long-sighted users. We also noticed the screen from the Olympus EVF to be much bigger than the GF1's, and this was really helpful as we didn't have to squint when framing shots.

The ports for the EVF on the GF1 and E-P2 are different, so they are not interchangeable.

Although Olympus didn't confirm this, we believe that this to be the same EVF which Epson announced production of a few weeks back.

Sound Check

Like the E-P1, the E-P2 can record 720p-quality videos as well. However, the accessory port allows lensmen to fit the new SEMA-1 microphone set onto the digicam, unlike its older sibling. The SEMA-1 has a 3.5mm stereo jack so users can employ their own external microphones for better audio quality. On its own, the E-P2 is able to record stereo sound, though often it captures ambient noise as well.