Olympus PEN E-P2 camera announced

Posted by Katherine Hannaford on Thu 5 Nov 2009

Originally launched in 1959, Olympus' PEN range has been given a digital makeover

Micro four thirds cameras are the most exciting thing to happen to the market since cameras went digital. Thanks to Panasonic and Olympus, these new half compact/half D-SLR models are bringing back some ‘60s glamour to photography.

Olympus has just announced the follow-up to the PEN E-P1, which is cleverly named the E-P2. See what they did there? We had some issues with the E-P1 which were addressed in our review, namely the lack of inbuilt flash, viewfinder, autofocus and the price – but has Olympus improved on the build this time?

- Read our Olympus PEN E-P1 review here

Olympus has added in a new accessory port, so you can use a VF-2 Electronic View Finder or the EMA-1 audio input device. The autofocus has been updated with the new Continuous Autofocus feature, and the video-recording function now supports full manual shutter and aperture control.

The sensor is a 12.3-megapixel job, and the ISO range is 100 – 6400. Bundled with the E-P2 is either an ED-14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zuiko digital zoom lens, or a 17mm f2.8 Zuiko digital zoom lens if you’d prefer, along with the new VF-2 Electronic View Finder. While there's no inbuilt flash yet, customers will have to fork out around £100 extra for one.

UK pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but in the US the E-P2 will retail for $1,099, which is $300 more than the E-P1. Are those slight changes – and the new black colour option - worth the extra money? We’re yet to make our minds up, but with the Olympus PEN E-P2 on sale this December, we only have a few weeks to wait.

Link: Olympus

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