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E-PL2 looks disappointing

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I agree. They seemed to have updated all of the key areas that were lacking compared to the competition. People seem to forget that the e-pl1 already had a light AA filter so the only difference to the E-5 would be JPEG processing.

Hopefully they have also sped up the overall speed of the camera as that is still an issue with the PENs.
 
If so, then you should only be looking at this camera in regard to its ability to compete with other entry level ILCs.

IMO, this is a much needed update to the model that has allowed Oly to stay in the game to this point--think of where Oly would be right now if its only PENs were the EP1/2. Criticize art filters if you want, but they are easy to add and cost effective if they sell more cameras to people moving up from P&Ss.

I would also rather see Oly limiting the entry level R&D budget to correcting the major flaws in the E-PL1, while devoting most of it efforts and expense to bringing a first-rate professional camera to market.
 
I wonder how happy people would be if every half year another cam comes around that makes the one prior to that (yours!) completely obsolete....Happy? Indeed, all m4/3 camera's are very capable camera's performing really well in general. Sure, I know things can be better but that does not mean that everything I want needs to be incoporated in the next itteration.

Now you can of course compare to the competition and say: I think the current enhancements are late, compared to the competition. Oke. That is one way to look at it. But Oly (I have Panny) seems to have a vastly superior JPEG engine. SO they are in front and may be where it counts. In IQ. Others have to catch up in that area (like Panny). So if Panny comes with a very good JPEG engine, no need to rejoyce: they should have been doing it better long time ago.....etcetcetc....

Anyone who has a m4/3 cam has a vry capable cam, like I said. ANd that is great. Things do not develop very fast. Also nice: you do not need to invest constantly within a year or so. You can just take pics and once a cam comes around that is much much better, you can invest in that one.
 
The problem with Olympus' strategy is that there is no model, which really incorporates the features, which are now state of the art, not to mention technological edges. Up to now each m4/3 release from Olympus fell short in too many aspects, where the competition is already miles ahead.

That the EPL-2 is the first Olympus m4/3 model, which has a 460K screen is a shame. Surely they could have incorporated the JPEG engine of the E-5 without sacrificing too much on the E-5 sales, because the E-5 is a dead end anyway and serves a complete different traget group. Had the EPL-2 the same JPEG engine it could be a hot seller amongst E-5 owners.

The longer I look at Olympus' product line and release policy, the more I feel that there is a technology lead model required, which will showcase, what Olympus is actually capable to do, instead of design-driven camera bodies like the whole PEN line. Similar to the GH2 technology from Panasonic (I do not refer here to the DSLR style), which will certainly also fill that purpose.
fermy said:
I agree with Bilgy_no1 and Sam Bennett. The update does not sound super exciting, but so far it appears that Oly improved on a very good camera (E-PL1) without taking anything away. Moreover, for the most part improvement is in key areas where E-Pl1 had weaknesses such as
  • screen
  • AF of the kit lens
  • remote release
I am a bit concerned about the reports that 2 buttons disappeared from the back. If it is so, it would have been a disappointment. One would have to wait for reports on the screen and kit lens to make a final conclusion. It looks like there is not enough incentive for E-PL1 owners to upgrade, but for newcomers into m4/3, E-PL2 should be an attractive choice.

I have to say, unlike some here, I quite like Oly strategy of steady improvement. I hate it when new model introduces desirable new features, while taking away your favorite features of an old one.
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--
Thomas
 
Sam Bennett said:
So, your problem here is a matter of expectations. Why would you expect features from Olympus' flagship 4/3rd camera to make it's way into it's entry-level MFT body? It makes no sense. This E-PL2 is a nice evolution of an already good product, and it will help bring more people into the MFT system.
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. . . I've been a Canon user since before buying into m4/3 and I know that whenever Canon develops a new generation processing engine, it appears in every new model from that point forward. The G12, T2i, 60D, 7D, 5D2 and the flagship 1D mkIV all have the same Digic 4 processor with the 1D4 having "Dual digic 4" to speed processing times up.

. . . My OP is an expression of disappointment that the E-PL2 apparently doesn't have Oly's latest processing engine which if it's true is a valid complaint IMO.

. . . I don't doubt that the E-PL2 will be a successful camera for those who want to buy their first m4/3 camera and I'm likely to recommend it to those who are also looking at other cameras both in m4/3 and from other systems.

. . . Does anyone here who is more familiar with Olympus' history than me know whether they have ever used different processors for entry level cameras vs flagship models?
 
tgutgu said:
The problem with Olympus' strategy is that there is no model, which really incorporates the features, which are now state of the art, not to mention technological edges. Up to now each m4/3 release from Olympus fell short in too many aspects, where the competition is already miles ahead.
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Each Oly m4/3 release incorporates jpeg engine that is miles ahead of anything else on the market, not just in m4/3 world, but in the whole interchangeable camera world. This is especially noticeable since Pany has arguably the worst jpeg engine on the market.

As for felling short in too many respects and being miles behind the competition, this is your private opinion, which I certainly don't share. With the exception of screen, E-PL1 were a state of the art camera, with some advantages and some disadvantages compared to the rival models. For example E-PL1 has remote flash control capability, which none of m4/3 models (including much more expensive GH line) have. Now E-PL2 hopefully fixes the screen...
tgutgu said:
Surely they could have incorporated the JPEG engine of the E-5 without sacrificing too much on the E-5 sales, because the E-5 is a dead end anyway and serves a complete different traget group. Had the EPL-2 the same JPEG engine it could be a hot seller amongst E-5 owners.
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You certainly have no idea what E-PL2 jpeg engine is, what it is capable of, and how it compares to E-5's engine.

Overall, I find this endless moaning of Pany users about Oly cameras quite hypocritical and tiresome.
 
SHood said:
We already know they removed some buttons. Hopefully the new dial is fully functional.

"Live Guide II for still images and for Movie capture with Rotating Dial "
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I don't think this means what you think it means. It sounds to me like the Live Guide II is available when you've explicitly selected Movie Mode on the Mode Dial, opposed to shooting a movie spontaneously (using the movie record button) in some of the other modes.

--
Sam Bennett - http://www.swiftbennett.com
 
AndySlider said:
I agree with your assessment Bilgy. It will be interesting to see how the E-PL2 performs in terms of speed and whether IQ has been marginally improved.

I was trying to think what the E-P3? could end up being like. I can see two possibilities:
  • a rangefinder styled body with a moderate sized EVF that is a bit bigger than an E-P1/2
  • a GH1/DSLR styled body with a larger EVF or even a digital version of the OM
Any thoughts or predictions?
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I think that Olympus will need to make both...

E-P3: RF-styled, high Quality build, EVF (460k-dot screen)

E-P630: dslr-styled, successor to E-620 and E-30, tilt-swivel screen (920k dot), special adapter for fast AF with 4/3 lenses
AndySlider said:
I certainly hope that Oly produces a new kit lens with the upcoming E-P3? - something like a micro 43 version of the 12-60 would be great or even a 12-50 range HG lens.
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Fully agree with you there: even a remake of the 14-54 mkII would be great: taking out the adapter saves an inch in lengt already! Just make it lighter weigt, faster focus (silent, less battery drain), if possible somewhat smaller still, and not too expensive (same street price as the current 4/3 model).
AndySlider said:
THe next few months should be good.
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--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bilgy_no1
 
Oly's past history is to improve JPEG engine and sensor regardless of positioning in lineup. As an example the e-30 came out a year after the e-3 with an upgraded sensor, larger screen and improved JPEG processing. All of this was implemented in the lower range e-620 a couple months later along with improved dynamic range. I would be surprised if Olympus changed their strategy now.
Tim in upstate NY said:
Sam Bennett wrote:

. . . Does anyone here who is more familiar with Olympus' history than me know whether they have ever used different processors for entry level cameras vs flagship models?
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SHood said:
Oly's past history is to improve JPEG engine and sensor regardless of positioning in lineup. As an example the e-30 came out a year after the e-3 with an upgraded sensor, larger screen and improved JPEG processing. All of this was implemented in the lower range e-620 a couple months later along with improved dynamic range. I would be surprised if Olympus changed their strategy now.
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. . . Thanks. Maybe the E-PL2 really does have the TruPic V+ processing engine after all and it just hasn't been picked up yet through these leaks to 43rumors.com. After looking at quite a few posted images from the E5, I'd be thrilled to have a m4/3 camera that can match that level of OOC image quality. It would easily be the very best entry level camera in its category with that kind of output.

. . . I'm planning to still hold out for an even better E-P3 to upgrade from my E-P2 but it would be great for the m4/3 format if Oly can distance itself from the competition with the hands down better image quality of the E5.
 
Tim in upstate NY said:
http://www.43rumors.com

. . . After looking at the listed differences between the E-PL1 and E-PL2, I don’t see anything that indicates that the E-PL2 has the TruPic V+ image processing software along with the lighter low pass filter of the E5.

. . . In fact, it doesn’t look at all like a worthwhile upgrade for those who already own a E-P2 or E-PL1.

. . . I'm still hoping though that Oly hits a homerun with the upcoming E-P3 in a few months.
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That's because it isn't an upgrade from the E-P series. The fact that it almost has the same features of the E-P series means it's meant to be an upgrade to the E-PL series.
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oomomo/
 
Thanks Ray. After reading your note I looked them up on the B&H website to check them out. Very nice. I am getting more tempted every day and hope we see some really great stuff coming out of the CES show this week (especially in regards to lenses. They could at least announce some new ones in the pipeline, though I guess it is too early for another lens road-map. But I'm hoping they do some high-grade ones soon).

Cheers.
--
µJoe
http://www.flickr.com/photos/joey_m43/sets
 
What is it with Oly users, be it 4/3 or u4/3? They can't take any criticism directed at Olympus?

Yes, except for their jpg engine Oly is behind in everything else at the moment. Certainly way behind Panasonic.
fermy said:
Overall, I find this endless moaning of Pany users about Oly cameras quite hypocritical and tiresome.
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kenw said:
TEBnewyork said:
six background Music (Melancholy, Nostalgic, Love, Joy, Cool, Beat)
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To read some of what people post here you'd think that all the Oly users must already have the "Melancholy" feature turned on in the current models :)
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Yep, my E-PL1 came with Melancholy as the default music for playback, but I'm already a melancholy person so it suited my mood entirely.

Meanwhile people here seem to forget that the "L" in the name stands for "Light" so it is the cheapie model to get new users into the line and may actually be the test bed for a few easy to implement ideas.

The good one with built in electronic viewfinder etc will come later, or maybe they are saving their creative energy for when the real camera comes along with the global shutter and suddenly the whole camera then makes real sense.

Regards.......... Guy

Some random E-PL1 info... http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~parsog/olyepl1/02-epl1-comments.html
 
ChrisKramer1 said:
According to http://www.43rumors.com/

"six background Music (Melancholy, Nostalgic, Love, Joy, Cool, Beat)"
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The E-PL1 already has music on playback but only Melancholy, Joy, Cool as the choices.

Next the E-PL3 will be adding Mozart, Beethoven, and Strauss music styles. And also art filters for Picasso, Van Gogh and Jackson Pollock (though some examples seen here already do Pollock).

Regards........ Guy
 
I don't see anything especially wrong with the EPL-2, but it just seems rather dated compared to the Sony NEX or GF-2. But the improvements were certainly called for.

On the other hand, I couldn't figure out why so much effort went into the E-5. 4/3 is pretty much a dead format. If all that effort had gone into an EP-3, that would have set the m4/3 market on fire, because that's what we all seem to be waiting for.

The E-3 is a tank when we all wanted a Porsche.

SF Photo Gal
Canon 1DsIII & 5DII/Panasonic GH1-GF1-LX3
 
It seems like the increased the shutter speed to match the E-P1 and E-P2, so that may help a bit.
 
Well since Panasonic users also pointed out your trolling and misinformation campaign it could be less about brand loyalty than you think.
NooWay said:
What is it with Oly users, be it 4/3 or u4/3? They can't take any criticism directed at Olympus?

Yes, except for their jpg engine Oly is behind in everything else at the moment. Certainly way behind Panasonic.
NooWay said:
Overall, I find this endless moaning of Pany users about Oly cameras quite hypocritical and tiresome.
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--
What´s that noise?

From one of the Canon Forums:

'I just came back from my first holiday with the 5D II (I think my wife was there as well). '
 
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