Olympus gives E-P2 a facelift

Earlier in the year the Olympus unveiled its new E-P2 compact digital camera. With a jet black styling it was supposed to continue the brand’s march into the competitive micro four thirds sector.

Now, it has another look – something its manufacturer call ‘stylish silver’. It certainly looks very nice, but is there anything beneath the gloss?
The aim behind this camera is to improve upon the previous E-P1 model and one change is apparent from the outset. The large electric view-screen is a marked improvement on the optical viewfinder and makes it much easier to take and review all pictures.

There are also some attractive editing capabilities. These sometimes feel a little gimmicky as if trying to persuade the rest of us that we can get professional quality pics despite having little skill and even less talent. Nevertheless you can get easy access to some quite stunning effects. You can add colour, make images bolder and even try a bit of air brushing to show all your friends in their most flattering light.

All in all, then, there is an impressive amount of kit and a worthy new entrant into the ongoing battle in the micro four thirds sector. This has come on leaps and bounds in the last year.

Sitting between the compact class and the more sophisticated DSLR models. These allow you to benefit from interchangeable lenses and a larger MOS sensor, all in a body no bigger than the larger compact cameras.

These have quickly started to earn their stripes and each new introduction raises the bar. By producing what is an undeniably effective and easy to use model, Olympus hope they’ve produced a camera that can mix it with the best of them. Time and the whims of the buying public, will as ever have the final say.