The Olympus E-P2 just arrived and I am excited about this little camera. This is a quick video comparison between
the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic Lumix GF1 and to illustrate size I am also showing the Canon Eos7D next to it. I really , really like the new external view finder VF-2- on the E-P2. Makes me (almost) forget that I am looking at a live view! It is that good! The only gripe I have with it is that if I am not careful with it while it is attached to the camera, it is possible to accidentally brake it off. Dig the full manual movie mode, the built in image stabilization and the colors right out of the box (esp greens) are very nice. I will update this post once I have had some real shooting time with this little gem. If you find this information helpful, please consider helping me maintaining this blog by purchasing your gear through my product links to B&H. It will cost you nothing and allows me to keep adding! Or consider making a direct donation using PayPal
Thank you.
not sure about you, but when I ski or snowboard, I want a very small camera with good battery life. Go with either an Ep-1, Ep-2, GF1 or really small and great video (although no manual controls) the Casio FH100 is amazing, great video, great jpegs, shoots raw and has amazing battery life and if you crash you won’t have to worry about breaking it, take a look at it here http://www.mikekobal.com/?p=699
Hi
I’m looking for a camaera that is lightweight and still shooting great pictures and most importantly movies to publish online. My main use of the camaera will be in winter time, shooting skiing on bright days. Which of the three would you recommend, and why?.
Thanks for the review. I’m still not sure but leaning towards the Panasonic.
Very useful comparison, and these are the two cameras I have in mind but only need to read more to decide which to go for.
Thanks very much.
Thank you very much. Your video helped me to make a decision between EP1, GF1 and EP2.
will def use it for street style shooting, 30fps is not a problem for me, will wait for spring, as for holding up against 5d and 7d, in good light to a certain degree but not in low light conditions. still an amazing camera though.
Mike:
Can you post an ep-2 video in your street cam style and talk about the pros and cons. Having manual exposure and a low profile is great, but is “only” having 30p a real drawback? How does it stack to the 7d and d90?
Hello there, just stumbled on your blog on the Four Thirds Website.
the Olympus E-P2 looks really interesting to me and I found your video very informative.
I do a lot of mountain hiking and the idea of using a four thirds camera to lighten the load is very intriguing for me.
If I can get good results with my landscape photography and not carry the heavy load of a DSLR and lens then it would be Super to say the very least.
Great blog and will come back to visit again.
I also found it interesting how you taped up your canon 7D for street use.
The camera did not have a good review with respects to landscape photography so I did not buy it.
I’ve primarily been a Nikon shooter from the 1970’s and switched to Canon Digital 5 yrs ago and am going back to Nikon DSLR–I feel there is more flexibility for my Landscape photography with the Nikon.
sorry for rambling on about it, just a personal direction
all the best,
Evan Spellman
I have used a GF1 and now own an E-P2. I did a comparison of the GF1 with the E-P1 and decided that body stabilisation was a critical feature that outweighed the minor advantages of the Panasonic in other areas. Yes, it is a disappointment about the low-res screen but this is made up for by the finder. It is quite brilliant and accounts for most of the higher price of the Olympus – it is bundled in. The GF1 finder, which I have used, is hardly worth the trouble and is an optional extra. . The flash is a problem but the flash on the Panasonic is very weak – GN# 6m which is dreadful and close to the lens. Only a person who uses compact cameras would accept that? I can use the FL36R which already use and there is a smaller GN# 20m (FL20) which is sensible if you do not want bounce. It is cheaper than the FL14, only slightly larger and quite a bit more powerful. But it is annoying that to use the flash I lose the finder.
I now have the Panasonic 20mm to go with it s it tests out as a far better lens than the Oly 17mm, even if a bit long for street work. And it is stabilised on the Pen! I can use my Olympus 4:3rds lenses, such as the 50mm Macro and they work seamlessly with the adaptor. I’d recommend getting the adaptor for regular 4;3rds lenses as it allows the use of many existing lenses. Even the Oly 70-300mm which is 600mm equivalent, balances surprisngly well on the small body and is…stabilised.
Tausend Dank – very helpful, the size and shutter comparison with the 7d especially so. It’s not the same to just read the specs.
thanks guys, no focus confirmation, got my adapter from ebay, just search for micro 4/3 adapter and the corresponding lens mount.
That EOS to micro-4/3 adapter is fantastic.
Where can it be ordered?
I have the E-P1 and GH-1 and want so use my “L” series lenses.
Thanks for the review. Probably one of the best reviews yet. I’ll probably go for the GF1 mainly because of price and the flash. Thanks again.
Many thanks for the review – very helpful
Just a quick question – does either camera have an “in focus” confirmation indicator, (a green light on my D300), to confirm that the image is in focus when using non AF lenses.
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