Olympus PEN E-P2 123 MP Micro Four Thirds

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The new PEN, like the E-P1, is the world's smallest 12.3-megapixel interchangeable lens system with In-body Image Stabilization. It blends the high-quality still images like that of a DSLR with High Definition (HD) video, stereo Linear PCM audio recording and In-Camera Creativity inside an ultra-portable body. Along with several new features, and eight in-camera Art Filters that can be applied to still images and HD videos, the result is mighty powerful and creative. The innovative E-P2 offers more of what photo enthusiasts have been asking for:

• A stylish retro black metal body reminiscent of a traditional PEN camera;
• Accessory port to accommodate the included detachable VF-2 Electronic View Finder (EVF) or optional external microphone adapter EMA-1;
• A newly-developed Continuous Autofocus (C-AF) Tracking System tracks the subject across or back-and-forward through the frame;
• Two new art filters: Diorama & Cross Process for greater creative expression in your still images and HD videos;
• iEnhance to automatically adjust color and contrast for a more dramatic effect;
• Full Manual Control of shutter/aperture in Movie Mode; and
• HDMI Control of camera's playback functions using the TV Remote when the camera is connected to an HDTV.

Olympus PEN E-P2 Highlights Accessorize: Everything Goes with Basic Black The E-P2 incorporates a new port for connecting new accessories including an optional EMA-1 Microphone adapter and the VF-2 live-finder, a detachable electronic viewfinder that comes with the E-P2. The live-finder easily slides onto the camera's accessory port and hot shoe when needed to provide 1.15x magnification, a 100% field of view with amazing resolution, brightness and contrast. The viewfinder refreshes quickly to minimize image ghosting on fast-moving subjects. The VF-2 rotates up to 90 degrees to enable photographers to look down into it, which is useful when shooting subjects from challenging angles. The built-in diopter adjustment and high magnification offer easy viewing with and without glasses. For those who want to capture enhanced audio, the new EMA-1 external microphone connector can be plugged into the new camera's external accessory port. The connector will accept the optional Olympus ME-51S stereo microphone or any microphone of their choice. Olympus has a variety of other accessories to maximize the functionality of the new PEN, including the previously released 14-42mm and 17mm Micro Four Thirds lenses. The MMF-1 Four Thirds System Lens Adapter makes E-P2 compatible with all Olympus ZUIKO Digital SpecificTM lenses and other Four Thirds System lenses from Sigma, Panasonic and Leica. Olympus OM film-based lenses can be attached to the E-P2 with the MF-2 OM Lens Adapter. Additionally, an optional FL-14 flash unit, suitably small for the camera, adds more lighting versatility to your shots. The E-P2 with optional EMA-1 microphone adapter Stay focused on Your Targets Wherever They Roam Sometimes it can be hard enough to keep up with kids, let alone take pictures of them. The E-P2's new C-AF Tracking and AF Target Registration locks your subject into focus, and constantly adjusts focus and brightness whether you or your subject is moving. With this mode, a simple push of the shutter release enables you to keep fast-moving and unpredictable subjects in focus--tracking subjects from left to right and from front to back--within the frame, automatically ensuring that even active subjects are captured clearly. Even More Ways to Create Olympus pioneered easy-to-use in-camera art filters for still images captured inside its E-System DSLRs. It was the first company to offer the ability to apply art filters to High Definition video recordings captured with the E-P1. Now, the E-P2 continues this tradition of innovation with eight in-camera art filters, including two new filters: the Diorama and Cross Process. The Diorama art filter gives users a miniature model photo feeling by narrowing the depth of focus and enhancing color and contrast. The selective focus that this filter offers lends intimacy to images of even the largest subjects like canyons or cityscapes. The Cross Process art filter offers an unexpected look to images and videos by changing the color and contrast of subjects on the fly. Using this mode can result in surreal other-worldly images. Whether you're a videographer, documentarian or established director--or just want to shoot like one --Art Filters set your images and videos apart from the pack. Since they're built into the camera, you can achieve dramatic results on the go without needing a computer or editing software. These new filters are a welcome addition to the Pop Art, Soft Focus, Pale & Light Color, Light Tone, Grainy Film and Pin Hole filters previously available on the E-P1. Because the PEN is an interchangable lens system camera, you also have more creative options for video capture. You can attach any one of the new super-compact Micro Four Thirds lenses or, because the camera can accept many of the other Four Thirds Format lenses with an available MMF-1 Four Thirds System Lens Adapter, you can add anything from an extreme wide-angle fisheye lens to a super telephoto lens for a wide range of expressive options. All the while you will have more DSLR-like control over depth of field, focus, white balance and ISO. It begs the question, "What will you create?" iEnhance for Radiant Colors The E-P2 includes a new picture mode called iEnhance, which analyzes colors and brightness. The new mode mimics what the naked eye sees. For example, a beautiful sunset looks awesome in person and generally seems to fade when captured in an image. With iEnhance, the warm yellow and orange colors are heightened to be brilliant and closer to the actual scene. The result is exceptionally clear imaging with a dramatically lifelike color. iEnhance can be used in any shooting mode--from program to manual--and automatically engages when in iAuto. HDMI Control from Your HDTV Remote The new PEN makes sharing your content easier than ever. Just connect the E-P2 to your HDTV with an optional HDMI cable and use your HDTV's remote to control playback functions and navigate the camera's menus from the comfort of your favorite couch or chair. Manual in Movie Mode The E-P2's manual movie mode allows for independent control of aperture and shutter for expanded exposure and creative control. Now you can adjust the shutter to control the depth of focus while using the aperture to set the overall brightness of the video. This level of control allows you to express your vision exactly how you want in your HD videos. Make a Design Statement The E-P2's high-end, stainless-steel all-black body is easy to handle and carry, and has the styling and refinement of a precision chronometer. Its retro-chic look turns heads, from tech-aficionados and camera buffs to the style-conscious and everyday point-and-shooter. Built rock solid, it fits comfortably in a jacket pocket or a handbag for impromptu street-shooting or any spontaneous adventure. The E-P2 lets you do more and go more places while capturing your life, thanks to its compact size--4.74"(W) x 2.75" (H) x 1.37" (D)--and light 11.1-ounce body. Attention to detail is visible in every aspect of the PEN's design, including the currently available small and lightweight 14-42mm and 17mm M. Zuiko Digital lenses as well as the newly announced 9-18mm f4.0-5.6 (18-36mm equivalent) and 14-150mm f4.0-5.6 (28-300mm equivalent) M. Zuiko Digital lenses. Ultra-Compact Body Delivers Superior Image Quality The E-P2 has everything you need to produce vibrant DSLR-quality images: a large 12.3-megapixel imager, In-body Image Stabilization, fast Imager Autofocus, the proven Olympus Dust Reduction System and the new TruePic V Image Processor. Standard point-and-shoot sensor vs. the PEN E-P2 sensor As the second Micro Four Thirds camera from Olympus, the E-P2 provides the same image quality as current Four Thirds format E-System cameras because it has the same image sensor size as the E-30 and E-620 DSLR models, but in a much smaller body. This high-performance 12.3-megapixel Live MOS image sensor delivers excellent dynamic range, accurate color fidelity, and a state-of-the-art amplifier circuit to reduce noise and capture fine image details in both highlight and shadow areas. The E-P2's Live MOS image sensor is complemented by Olympus' TruePic V Image Processor, which produces clear and colorful photos using all the pixel information for each image to provide the best digital images possible. The image processor is noted for accurate natural color, true-to-life flesh tones, brilliant blue skies and precise tonal expression; it also lowers image noise in photos shot at higher ISO settings (ISO 100 to ISO 6400), enabling great results in low-light situations. Be a Mover, Not a Shaker Any lens attached to the E-P2 will deliver blur-free images thanks to three modes of In-body Image Stabilization that compensate for up to four steps EV (exposure value). Mechanical Image Stabilization automatically compensates for camera shake in low light or when shooting without a tripod. Since the PEN is the world's smallest interchangeable lens camera with In-body Image Stabilization, you'll feel comfortable taking it on the road with you to capture the action. As an added advantage, the built-in image stabilization works not only with the M. Zuiko lenses but all Four Thirds lenses and even older OM film-based lenses when used with the appropriate adapter for the E-P2. Small Real Estate with an Amazing 3-Inch LCD View Consumers accustomed to composing and focusing using a point-and-shoot camera's LCD will appreciate the E-P2's 100 percent accurate, 3-inch full color HyperCrystal LCD, which gives them the same easy, seamless experience when shooting still images or videos. The camera's Live Control function makes it easy to compose, edit and shoot pictures or videos without stopping to access various menus. The E-P2's fast Imager Autofocus in Live View also enables you to compose, focus and capture the shot quickly and easily without ever taking your eyes off the large LCD. The LCD displays 230,000 pixels in vivid color and includes HyperCrystal technology, which offers many times the contrast of conventional LCD monitors for easier viewing in both preview and playback. It also provides a wide viewing angle of 176 degrees, which ensures that images can be composed from even the most obscure angles. This Camera Leaves Others in the Dust You don't have to waste precious time worrying about dust ruining the perfect image; instead, spend more of that time shooting with the E-P2. The proven Olympus Dust Reduction System produces spot-free photos with the exclusive Supersonic Wave Filter, a patented ultrasonic technology that vibrates to remove dust and other particles from the front of the image sensor, capturing it on a special adhesive membrane every time the camera is turned on. What You See Is What You Get When viewing the LCD in Live View, Art Filter effects and settings like white balance and exposure are viewable right on the LCD, and their impact is seen instantly on the display. Real-time monitoring offers amazing versatility and creative control, and users who apply a setting have instant gratification because what they see on the camera's LCD is what they've captured. For musicians used to applying audio effects like reverb to their instruments before recording them, the concept of setting the E-P2 to capture precisely the kind of image they want before they press the shutter makes perfect sense. For imaging purists who want to shoot without filters, and apply them to images inside the camera later, or just edit images back at their computers, the E-P2 provides these options and opens more in-the-field creative possibilities. Mix It Up with Multiple Exposure With the E-P2's Multiple Exposure function available for still image capture, you are free to tell a visual story your way, whether in a portrait, a landscape or a combination of both. The image capture options allow you to shoot one shot, then another and combine them in real time, or capture both shots separately and combine them in the camera later. Overlay your face on top of your pet's face. Create an "identical twin" of yourself. Put the moon in the sky at noon. Your ability to manipulate space and time makes this new creative multimedia device a veritable time machine. Frame Your Works of Art Inside the PEN You can often achieve greater photographic expression by framing a scene in a unique way. The E-P2 provides four aspect ratios that serve as masks to frame your image to the desired proportions, including: the standard 4:3 aspect ratio that is suited to an 8 x 10-inch enlargement; the 16:9 aspect ratio that will display your images beautifully on a widescreen television; and other popular aspect ratios such as 3:2 and 6:6. The Multi-Aspect Shooting further expresses your creative vision when combined with Art Filters and multiple exposures. What will you create? Stereo Audio Sounds As Good As the PEN Images Look Like the innovative Olympus LS-11 portable audio recording device that puts the power of a recording studio in your pocket, the E-P2 features uncompressed CD-quality 16 bit/44.1kHz Linear PCM stereo recording capability to capture the rich sound quality of your scene. When you shoot with the E-P2, it's like having a sound technician built into your camera to capture the nuances of the audio happening all around you. It has the versatility to record and play back in the WAV format and can record with its built-in stereo microphone. Whether recording audio while shooting a video or adding audio by recording a narration to your still images, the E-P2's audio sounds as great as its images look. Now, with the new stereo microphone adapter, there is new freedom in audio capture with the PEN. Create Your Own Multimedia Slideshows with Stills, Video and Audio Inside E-P2 Content is king, and with the E-P2 you have your own portable kingdom of still images, HD video, and audio to remix at your command. In playback mode you can seamlessly mix stills and movies inside the camera to create a multimedia slideshow; dub in one of five built-in dramatic background music options to provide a soundtrack for your cinematic creation. Plug the E-P2 into any HD television with an HDMI cable and show off your masterpieces to your audience before your DVD arrives in stores! As Easy to Use as a Point-and-Shoot with SLR-Quality Technologies The E-P2 is equipped with 19 scene-select modes for effortless picture taking. Standard scene modes like Night-Scene, Portrait and Landscape are easy-to-use solutions for everyday shooting. Capturing beautiful portraits is easy with the new ePortrait Mode. It enables you to smooth your subject's skin--all in the camera and before capture! Additionally, edits can be made post-capture using the ePortrait mode. Shooting scenes with both highlights and shadows can often be a challenge because of the extreme contrast between dark and bright areas. The E-P2 addresses this challenge with Shadow Adjustment Technology that adjusts for extreme light variations and maintains visible detail in both the shadow and highlight areas of the scene. Now users can see and preview the gradation on the Live View LCD and capture images showing the shadow detail they saw. This feature is also accessible in the Edit menu after the shot has been taken. The E-P2's Face Detection reduces the chance of blurred subjects in images by recognizing up to eight people's faces and the background, tracking the faces within the image area, even if people are moving, and automatically focusing and optimizing exposure for sharp, brilliant portrait pictures (ideal for large family or party group photos). Don't like changing camera settings for each shooting situation? The E-P2's Intelligent Auto Mode automatically identifies what you're shooting (Portrait, Landscape, Night + Portrait, Macro, Sports) and adjusts settings to capture the best result depending on the situation. First-time users will enjoy this quick and hassle-free feature, which does the thinking for them and produces incredible images like a pro. The E-P2 offers ease-of-use and flexibility to meet your shooting style. Choose the Live Control technology, an advanced control panel system that incorporates the use of the sub dial and enables you to see the image and the menu controls all at the same time on the LCD. As a result, you can use the main and sub dials to select modes and adjust settings without having to take your eyes off the subject. Or if you prefer, shoot with the Super Control Panel, which is familiar to any serious shooter. These options along with the camera's intuitive button layout make the camera simple to use. The E-P2 records to SDHC media cards to accommodate large files including videos with In-Camera Creative Features and uncompressed audio. Digital Leveler The E-P2 is equipped with an internal Digital Level Sensor that detects the camera's pitch and roll and indicates it on the control panel. This Digital Leveler is a tremendous benefit when capturing architecture and landscapes. Level the perfect coastline shot on your next tropical vacation without being tethered to a computer and editing software. Magnified Focus Assist The E-P2 provides two optional methods to help the user focus: a Magnified Focus (MF) Assist Function and Magnification Display. When using manual focus, the MF Assist feature aids with critical focus by allowing you to zoom in on part of the image by simply turning the focusing ring on the front of the lens. The Magnification Display enables you to selectively enlarge the image on the LCD at the touch of a button. This mode works for both autofocus and manual focus. Both MF Assist methods provide up to a 10x magnification of a single point of the image for critical focus; perfect for macro or still-life photography. 18x18 Metering Modes This mode divides the image area into an 18 x 18 grid, metering each of the 324 separate cells to obtain optimum exposure. In addition to 324-division ESP metering, center-weighted metering and spot metering modes are also available. Olympus Master 2 Software Use the included Olympus Master 2 software (Mac and PC) to easily download images and videos from the camera or other external device, such as a USB drive, and automatically organize them into albums and groups and by date. Develop high-quality RAW images, apply Art Filter effects, edit and print images. Also, apply the most common editing functions to your HD videos. Update camera and lens firmware through the software and download additional menu languages. A direct link makes uploading your images and videos to YouTube easier than ever. Olympus Studio 2 (Trial Edition Included) Extend the capability of Olympus Master 2 with Olympus Studio 2. In addition to the functions of Olympus Master 2, this software includes a lightbox mode and selection marks for comparing and sorting multiple images. RAW processing is enhanced with additional controls for finer adjustments. The trial edition can be used for 30 days after installation. After the trial period has expired, a license key is required for further use. What's in the Box

• E-P2 Body
• VF-2 Electronic View Finder
• ED 14-42mm f3.5/5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens
• USB Cable
• Video Cable
• Li-Ion Battery Pack (BLS-1)
• Li-Ion Battery Charger (BCS-1)
• Shoulder Strap
• Olympus Master 2 Software CD-ROM
• Manuals and Registration card

 

This review is from: Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens and Electronic View Finder (Electronics)
I'm a happy owner of the two Panasonic P&S cameras: DMC-ZS3 and DMC-ZR1 purchased from Amazon. Those two advanced P&S cameras are very good and along with my two others - Nikon D90 and D700 cover all my photography needs. The only area where I'd like to have some improvement is shooting the high quality video with good sound indoors at the relatively low light conditions.

The most high quality video out of those 4 cameras I'm getting from Panasonic ZS3 but there is one problem - its stereo microphones are on the top of the body facing the ceiling and if you shooting a movie clip of someone speaking in a relatively noisy environment those microphones collect all the noise around and make the voice of the person in the front of you camera a kind of indistinctive.

So I was looking for a relatively small camera with the front microphones which could take good low light movie clips. A new Olympus EP2 with its relatively big sensor seemed to be a perfect candidate to fill that position. Because of my special interest in that camera this writing is not a comprehensive review but it's rather focused on the EP2's video-recording capabilities.

The new Olympus Micro-Four-Third Pen EP-2 looked pretty good on the paper so I purchased it and was testing for about a week by now. The build quality of its body is pretty good. It's a little bit heavy, but feels solid and reliable. The retractable zoom lens Zuiko 14-42 mm feels somewhat flimsy but it's a kind of trade-off for about twice shorter lens size than of the similar Panasonic's one. From my prospective it's very convenient for transportation, but some people might complain that it makes the camera startup time a bit longer.

Having received my EP2 from Amazon the first idea was to check its picture quality against my ZS3 and D90. At the very low light conditions D90 was the only competitor to EP2. Depending on the used lens the results of Nikon D90 were from "slightly better" (for Nikon zoom lens 18-200mm at 18mm and F/3.5) to "remarkably better" (for Sigma primary lens 50mm-F/1.4 at F/2.8). For the outdoor pictures and those taken indoors at the good light conditions the quality of EP2 shots were somewhere in between D90's and ZS3's, however more close to ZS3 ones. Such a comparison might not look fair for DMC-ZS3 because its sensor has about 8 times smaller area, but taking into account that ZS3 is much more sophisticated device than many others P&S cameras the results of the actual picture quality comparison turned out to be not that obvious.

I was taking some outdoor pictures of landscapes and architecture by both EP2 and ZS3 cameras and while comparing those shots edge-to-edge at 100% crop I had hard time to find out any significant difference in the image quality, and the only depth of field could help to recognize which camera was used to take a certain shot. On the pictures of white buildings on a sunny day with the blue sky Olympus produced some reddish tint while Panasonic shots were more close to white. On the other hand Olympus provided a slightly wider dynamic range especially if you set the contrast to the lowest (-2) position. The EP2 menu allows you to choose a number of shooting modes like NORMAL, VIVID, MUTE, etc. in each of which you can adjust separately the contrast, saturation, and sharpness. Actually that tuning does not make a big difference but is a nice to have feature.

For indoor testing I put the two cameras EP2 and ZS3 together into their auto mode and wanted to see what would be the results without my intervention. That experiment showed me that while ZS3 tried to set the best possible for that camera shooting parameters, e.g. the lowest ISO, EP2 automatic settings were far from optimal. While taking pictures of the same subject indoors the first camera (ZS3) set automatically ISO=400, Aperture=3.3 and Shutter Speed=1/15, while EP2 set ISO=1600, 3.5 and 1/60. The result was - approximately equal amount of noise on both pictures. No subject was moving and so there was no any reason for EP2 to set that relatively high shutter speed. So I assume that it would be better not to rely on EP2 automatics but set a lower ISO (around 400) manually.

One of the best features of Olympus EP2 is its in-camera image stabilization, which allows you to decrease the shutter speed about 3 stops from its original value. In my testing I was able to get pretty good, none-blurred hand-held photographs at the shutter speed as slow as 1/8 - around 90% of shots were good (just keep your breath while shooting :). When I switched to Program mode and set manually the ISO=400 the camera responded with the shutter speed about 1/15 and I started getting much clearer, almost noiseless pictures! From my prospective the noise becomes visible starting from ISO around 500-600 or higher. The quality of pictures taken at ISO=1600 is still acceptable for small prints but if you want to take good portraits it's better to keep ISO at 400 or less. There is a workaround how to get better indoor pictures with the less manual operations: if you are not shooting kids of animals, you can switch to the "S"hutter priority mode and set a default shutter speed as low as you can handle (taking into account the advantage of the internal image stabilization), for example 1/15. Then camera will be adjusting its ISO accordingly and most of the time it will be lower than its default "1600" value. In that case EP2 will give you a completely noiseless clean picture. However sometimes when you're taking pictures of your kinds of pets you might not have enough time to perform all those manual corrections.

So if you want to get maximum picture quality out of EP2 you have to set manually some shooting parameters. But the accessing of its menu is a separate story... It took me about 10-15 minutes with Panasonic cameras to find out how to adjust the major shooting settings and no more than one hour for Nikon D90, but unless you are an Olympus fan, you must read its manual first! After learning its menu organization you will find how to reach quickly the necessary functionality, but there is another trick - you can get to some settings in a variety of ways but the available functions or its behavior might be somewhat different depending on which way you got there. So you definitely have to spend some time for the learning curve to be able to operate the Olympus camera in a real situation.

I was generally satisfied with the quality of the kit zoom lens 14-42mm - the still pictures were sharp with the good colors and contrast. The auto focus for outdoor still pictures was quick enough, while for indoor ones it was slower but still acceptable. The precision was also good - I could not get better sharpness when I was focusing manually. Generally the auto focus system can either choose dynamically the part of the frame to focus on or you can manually point to a certain area to be used for focusing. There is also one display mode which might be very helpful for manual focusing - in that mode once you start turning the focus ring the camera zooms the central part of the picture up to 7x or 10x which helps you to obtain the best focus. Once you stop the focus adjustment it quickly returns to the normal 1x display mode.

So you can get good out-of-the-box outdoor still shots and you might have much better results for indoor shots if you are willing to learn its manual and to perform some manual adjustments while shooting pictures.

The best thing about Olympus EP2 for shooting movies is its front-side stereo microphone. It has a wide enough frequency range, so even the recorded music sounds good (but not HiFi). It has a pretty good sensitivity and a remarkably low its own noise, which makes this camera outstanding from this prospective from many others. It means it would be very good for example for recording a low voice or birds singing in silence.

EP2 has the two video modes: VGA 640x480 and HD 1280x720. There is nothing to write home about the VGA low resolution mode - it's no better than of any P&S camera. The quality of the HD mode depends on the light conditions: it is good for outdoor shooting but shows much noise on the indoor clips. However it is not a show-stopper, the major problem is its really bad auto focus.

I took a number of movie clips which could be divided into 3 groups.

1) On a sunny day I took a few clips which showed a blue cloudless sky, dark blue sea with some waves and a few ships far in the sea. I did not move the camera and no moving subjects were in site. That was the only case where I could not admit any noise or compressing artifacts on the EP2 clips. ZS3 clips for the same subject showed a little bit artifacts on the blue sky which looked like subtle difference of blue tint in some areas, not a big deal.

2) On the same sunny day I recorded a panorama of some buildings across the street.
Some noise became visible in some areas (not everywhere) of the EP2 clips. Because there was plenty of light it seems in reality that was a result of MPEG/MP4 compression which looked like ordinary noise. On the ZS3 clips in the similar MPEG/MP4 mode the same level of noise was visible across the entire picture, but in the AVCHD mode the noise was hardly visible anywhere at all.

The major and the crucial difference between those two cameras was in the auto focus behavior. With ZS3 I could not admit any visible auto focus activity or any relevant sound. Either I was doing panorama with the same focal length or I was zooming in-and-out - the picture remained in focus all the time. The ZS3's auto focus system worked very smoothly and actually was doing small periodical adjustments back-and-forth which you could hardly even admit, but which helped to keep the recording picture in focus while the focal length or a distance to the subject was changing.

With EP2 I experienced the two variants of behavior, both abnormal:
a) When you're doing some panorama, so the distance to the subject is changing, or if you're zooming in or out the auto focus might remain insensitive, unresponsive for some time and so your picture might start getting out of focus. And then, all of a sudden, the auto focus system might start a very intensive work for catching focus back and because of that it will very quickly change the focus in its entire range which will make some bad periods of interference in the recording clip accompanied by the audible sound of the hard-working auto focus mechanics. So the system does every time 1-2 big adjustments and catches focus, after a while it repeats again.
b) The auto focus system might also start continuously hunting focus doing big adjustments back-and-forth a number of times. When it finally finds focus and you continue panorama again or any moving object comes in site then that long focus-hunting process might start again and as a result most of your clip will be completely out-of-focus.

3) While shooting indoor clips at the relatively low light the ZS3's auto focus behavior remained almost the same as for outdoor clips - it was smooth and consistent. With EP2 I experienced either the unlimited focus hunting (same as 2b above) or even something new: after doing a number of big back-and-forth adjustments it could hang up forever in one of that extreme positions and just die, e.g. whatever you do, it stops responding and the only option is to cancel recording, which means you lost that clip. So in the relatively low light indoor situations the EP2's auto focus does not work at all, e.g. it does whatever, but normal focusing.

There is also a "Tracking" auto focus mode but this feature is very unreliable and in real world it looses a moving subject almost immediately and so it's not helpful at all.

Having not normally working auto focus you can not apply zoom because once you start zooming the picture will go out of focus immediately. I found that the only possibility to shoot movie clips is to turn off auto focus, don't use zoom, and keep the constant distance to the shooting subject.

The picture quality of the clips taken with EP2 in that indoor environment turned out to be much worse than outdoors. I was shooting a kind of a lecture where a person was talking and showing some exercises. For that light condition the entire picture was filled with the fluctuating noise. The edges of that person's body and face were a kind of fuzzy, not sharp. The eyes looked more like dark spots. I tried to do some post-processing for those clips and in particular to convert them into AVCHD format, but it did not help - the stronger noise reduction you try to apply the more details you loose or to more extent the initial noise becomes replaced with the flickering compression artifacts but it did not help to make the person's image clearer. In any way those clips did not look like the High Definition but rather like Wide-VGA ones.

The clips taken by ZS3 in MPEG/MP4 mode were no better, but in AVCHD mode it was a very different picture - there was much less noise on that person's body and face, the edges were much more sharp and I could normally see their eyes, not just like dark spots. There were artifacts in the darker background but it was not much distracting because the main subject demonstrated a pretty good quality which I would consider as a real High Definition one.

So for still pictures the new Olympus EP2 camera can provide a pretty good quality but I would hardly consider it to be used as a camcorder.

UPDATE: Based on some early comments I updated some paragraphs to provide more details and less emotions. I want to thank those who helped to make this review more clear.

UPDATE2: Olympus just announced (April, 2010) the firmware updates for its PEN series which improve their auto focus performance. Since this camera is not in my posession anymore please check the other reviews regarding the auto focus issue. The recent reviews on E-PL1 might be also helpful since that new Olympus camera already has those auto focus improvements incorporated.


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