http://43rumors.com/olympus-e-p2/

Hmm. Quite the frankenstein EVF going on there.

I was waiting when a picture of it would be leaked. Thanks.

The viewfinder is interesting is looks like you might be able to use it 90 degrees up. I would have liked, however, for Oly to have sprung for a higher resolution LCD on the back. They are pretty much commonplace these days on a camera in its price range. I would be a big help when using live view for focusing. Hopefully, the AF function is improved over the E-P2.

I was expecting a different body for some reason, but understand the reality of using the still brand-new E-P1 casing. The stereo mic is interesting, but am surprised by the screen given the hardship Oly received on the E-P1.

The 9-18 is very interesting, especially given its small size. Hopefully better IQ than the 14-42.

dasrocket wrote:
I was expecting a different body for some reason, but understand the reality of using the still brand-new E-P1 casing.

I was as well.

dasrocket wrote:
The 9-18 is very interesting, especially given its small size. Hopefully better IQ than the 14-42.

Indeed! If price and performance are reasonable, I may well prefer the zoom over the 14/2.8

dasrocket wrote:
I was expecting a different body for some reason


So was I. Primarily because I was expecting an increased feature set, and maybe even an optical viewfinder. Aside from the EVP viewfinder, at least from the list provided, there are only a few modest enhancements some of truly marginal value (sorry, I really don't need more "art" filters or a "color boost" function).

You can find a copy of the U.S. press release here:
http://tinyurl.com/yhkhca7

Very strange move on Olympus' behalf here. More expensive, you have to buy the EVF as part of the kit and they didn't address some of the extremely valid complaints people have with the E-P1? I don't get it. I really doubt that the lack of optional EVF was the thing holding back E-P1 sales.

Looks like we'll need to wait for Fuji's MFT offering to see if Panasonic's going to have any real competition in the space.

I think it comes down to the EVF. If its as good as the G-1/GH-1 then I'd be interested, since I'm interested in using MF lenses on micro 4/3 bodies. Otherwise I fail to see much benefit.

Sam Bennett wrote:
Very strange move on Olympus' behalf here. More expensive, you have to buy the EVF as part of the kit and they didn't address some of the extremely valid complaints people have with the E-P1? I don't get it. I really doubt that the lack of optional EVF was the thing holding back E-P1 sales.

Well, for me it was. Still need to get reviews on it, but very likely to get the EP-2 with the kit lens and the Pana 20/1.7

Sam Bennett wrote:
Very strange move on Olympus' behalf here. More expensive, you have to buy the EVF as part of the kit and they didn't address some of the extremely valid complaints people have with the E-P1? I don't get it. I really doubt that the lack of optional EVF was the thing holding back E-P1 sales.

Looks like we'll need to wait for Fuji's MFT offering to see if Panasonic's going to have any real competition in the space.


Indeed. It's really not that different from the E-P1. The viewfinder accessory is the only substantive difference (and it should have been on the E-P1). I was really hoping for something a bit more ambitious, a much more significant step up from the E-P1, a higher specification. If Olympus didn't really disappoint with the E-P1, they have with the E-P2.

Now, let's see what Fuji has up their sleeve. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long.

According to one review, the AF is still as slow as the EP-1 version. You would have thought they could do something about this in the firmware.

I wonder if this is an intermediate release to keep up the momentum while they work on a more serious spec body a-la GH1.
Panasonic went down a similar path with the G1 /GH1 releases.

The four main complaints about the E-P1 have been the Lack of EVF, the low rez screen, the lack of flash and the slow AF.

One down...

dasrocket wrote:
Panasonic went down a similar path with the G1 /GH1 releases.

I'm not sure I'd agree. The G1 was at least a "complete product" - the only thing the GH1 really has over it is video and little more resolution. Long term it makes sense for Panasonic to keep both in their lineup, similar to how Nikon has both the D3000 (no video, very inexpensive) and D5000 (video but more expensive).

dasrocket wrote:
The four main complaints about the E-P1 have been the Lack of EVF, the low rez screen, the lack of flash and the slow AF.

One down...

...add to that the the relatively poor quality/slow 17mm f/2.8 and the cameras general lackadaisical shooting performance related to a dSLR. That last item is the thing that kept me away in conjunction with the slow AF. I really don't care about an EVF (assuming the built in screen is usable, which it is on the GF1) and no flash.

So, it looks like they painted it transparent black and added an EVF. The back LCD is the same, as are all the other functions on the camera, that people complained about prior to this. It seems like a giant waste of time to re-release a camera for a EVF. This will actually backfire i believe, with very low sales, and people migrating toward the GF1 for this "design" of camera

I don't get it. It's the same camera.

Anyway, I'll be first in line for the m4/3 camera that has any kind of built-in viewfinder I can look through. I don't care if it's a crappy one like on a point-and-shoot.

Greg Feldman wrote:
Anyway, I'll be first in line for the m4/3 camera that has any kind of built-in viewfinder I can look through. I don't care if it's a crappy one like on a point-and-shoot.

Then take your pick:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/583537-REG/Panasonic_DMC_G1K_Lumix_DMC_G1_SLR_Style_Digital.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/608940-REG/Panasonic_DMC_GH1K_Lumix_DMC_GH1_Digital_Camera.html

You're right. I should have said "compact" or somesuch thing. There's no need for that hump anymore.

Greg Feldman wrote:
You're right. I should have said "compact" or somesuch thing. There's no need for that hump anymore.

Actually, I think one of the thing the G1, GH1, and the GF1 and E-P2 EVFs show is that regardless of there being no mirror/prism, AF/meterings and so on, there's still a lot of electronics going on in that area - especially to provide a VF as good as the G1/GH1's. So while I think it's inevitable we'll see an EVF integrated better into the body at some point, it doesn't look like its a no brainer.

Personally, after living with the GF1 for a few weeks, I'm pretty happy even without an integrated EVF, and probably won't even bother buying the optional EVF. What I would like to see is something more like a waist-level finder that can clip to the hotshoe (or be mounted elsewhere) and is simply the same LCD that's in the camera, except flat/tiltable, with an optional shade. I don't really feel the need to have to hold my eye up to the camera for what I generally use it for.