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Handled an E-PL2 today. WOW, it is nice.

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Tom
This is a fact.
I have both m.4/3rds lenses that reach out to 300mm.
This is just an opinion.

Things like feel, build quality and image quality seem very important to you. The Olympus 75 - 300mm Is much better in all of the above then the Panasonic is. Yes the Panasonic is faster and cheaper but the Olympus is smaller its zoom and focus are silky smooth, better glass and the feel is far superior to the Panasonic. If you want a quality feeling lens to go with the quality of the E-PL2 with its IBIS go with the Olympus. I feel the price difference is worth it. Pics from both lenses are very good.
Tom Hoots said:
moorept said:
Hi Tom, maybe you will buy one and contribute to this forum, your thoughts are very well regarded and will add greatly this forum.
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Thanks for the kind words!

It's tempting, no doubt. I'm thinking mainly in terms of pairing it with the Panny 100-300mm telephoto lens, taking advantage of the 2x crop factor to get a relatively monster 600mm, 35mm-equivalent zoom. Of course, that's only one kind of usage, but that's the one that currently grabs my interest.

Tom Hoots
http://thoots.zenfolio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomhoots/
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/4330317199/albums
Click to expand...
--
John Young
 
+1. I would also add that criticizing the lens that came with the PL1 is not an appropriate criticism of the PL1. Anyone who thinks the new lens is a major improvement will soon have the option of putting one on their PL1.
 
LucaPCP said:
I am VERY tempted by the E-PL2, but I am perplexed by the lack of orientation sensor. I just can't see myself, after a weekend out, having to sort through the 100 or so photos, turning them with the correct side up.
How do you cope with this? Has it been a big annoyance to you?
Click to expand...
Selecting the ones needing to be rotated, the most tedious part is to CTRL/CMD-click each image. One keystroke combo then rotates them clockwise or counter.

IMO, it's no tragedy when considering all the other features at that price.

--
...Bob, NYC

'Well, sometimes the magic works. . . Sometimes, it doesn't.' - Little Big Man

http://www.bobtullis.com
 
Tom Hoots said:
tgutgu said:
You only describe enthusiasticly, how the camera feels , but not how it operates .
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Absolutely true. We didn't load it up with a memory card, so I didn't actually shoot with it. Other folks will have to give you their thoughts about that.
Click to expand...
By the reviews I read, there is no IQ difference with the PL1, except that they might have stepped up the Noise Reduction, thus making the pictures marginally less sharp.

However I find it a bit strange your lack of comment on the diamond wheel. That is the area where most have commented about its flimsiness.

Mind you I have a dSLR so I am used to wheels, but in such a small camera I don't mind at all using buttons - they have autorepeat after all.
But buttons don't change settings accidentally.

So yes the package might look more attractive but it doesn't convince me to change cameras. I am used to keep one for years not for months like you.
And I do suspect that Oly is getting more and more into planned obsolescence.

Why did they not provide 1/4000 on the PL1? I am about sure that its is the same shutter. 6400 I don't care because, according to reviews it is unusable anyway, but they could have provided it earlier too.

Last there is a significant upgrade, the screen. But I have bypassed that by buying the VF-2, which is far better anyway. And with that I will stop giving my money to Oly for a while. Or think about better lenses sometimes.

I hate unwarranted consumerism, also known as GAS. To me the nicest surprise of Pens is that they are optimal digital backs, so that they give a new lease of life to inexpensive legacy lenses.

Am.
--
Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amalric
 
I agree but as one that uses the E-PL1 and E-PL2 I would much prefer that the VF-2 had auto on / off like the Panasonic G series. When my eye gets close to the VF-2 the LCD should go blank and the VF-2 take over.
LucaPCP said:
I am VERY tempted by the E-PL2, but I am perplexed by the lack of orientation sensor. I just can't see myself, after a weekend out, having to sort through the 100 or so photos, turning them with the correct side up.
How do you cope with this? Has it been a big annoyance to you?
--
Luca
Click to expand...
--
John Young
 
I have the new E-PL2, which seems to be fantastic after 2 days of use. But I really am not bothered by the lack oof an orientation sensor. I takes me about 1/3 of a second to edit each image with my software and turn it 90 degrees. Not a concernfor me.
LucaPCP said:
I am VERY tempted by the E-PL2, but I am perplexed by the lack of orientation sensor. I just can't see myself, after a weekend out, having to sort through the 100 or so photos, turning them with the correct side up.
How do you cope with this? Has it been a big annoyance to you?
--
Luca
Click to expand...
--
Steve in Chapel Hill, NC
Hebrews 11:1

Personal photo web site: http://triumph.smugmug.com/
 
olympus tech support told me a few days ago that my new E-PL2 has a sharped l14-42mm zoom ens, so I assume the overall image quality oof the E-PL2 is theoretically higher than the E-PL1's when mounted with the orignal zooom lens?
amalric said:
Tom Hoots said:
tgutgu said:
You only describe enthusiasticly, how the camera feels , but not how it operates .
Click to expand...
Absolutely true. We didn't load it up with a memory card, so I didn't actually shoot with it. Other folks will have to give you their thoughts about that.
Click to expand...
By the reviews I read, there is no IQ difference with the PL1, except that they might have stepped up the Noise Reduction, thus making the pictures marginally less sharp.

However I find it a bit strange your lack of comment on the diamond wheel. That is the area where most have commented about its flimsiness.

Mind you I have a dSLR so I am used to wheels, but in such a small camera I don't mind at all using buttons - they have autorepeat after all.
But buttons don't change settings accidentally.

So yes the package might look more attractive but it doesn't convince me to change cameras. I am used to keep one for years not for months like you.
And I do suspect that Oly is getting more and more into planned obsolescence.

Why did they not provide 1/4000 on the PL1? I am about sure that its is the same shutter. 6400 I don't care because, according to reviews it is unusable anyway, but they could have provided it earlier too.

Last there is a significant upgrade, the screen. But I have bypassed that by buying the VF-2, which is far better anyway. And with that I will stop giving my money to Oly for a while. Or think about better lenses sometimes.

I hate unwarranted consumerism, also known as GAS. To me the nicest surprise of Pens is that they are optimal digital backs, so that they give a new lease of life to inexpensive legacy lenses.

Am.
--
Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amalric
Click to expand...
--
Steve in Chapel Hill, NC
Hebrews 11:1

Personal photo web site: http://triumph.smugmug.com/
 
I use the E-PL1 for daily photojournalism/street and have never had a single instance of sub-standard build quality. It's plastic yes..but plastic that holds up very well. I agree that the "styling" of the new E-PL2 is nicer compared to the more boxy older model I have.
 
Yes, a better, faster 14-42 is to be expected.

But you see on the PL1 I use mainly Oly 17mm, and that's already an internal focussing lens, so, zippy.

Nontheless, when prices will drop I might get the other one as a general purpose lens. Pity that Oly didn't start from there.

It will be interesting to see also the Panny 12-50 as an alternative.

Am.
--
Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amalric
 
I visited at a local camera shop in Helsinki, and tried out E-PL2. I looks pretty nice, but immediately I felt that I don't want it. I currently have E-P1 and I love how if feels. E-PL2 feels too light and the plastic turns me off.

I found it clumsy to use the control wheel to control the aperture. I would really miss the upper thumb wheel.

This is unfortunate, since I had high hopes on E-PL2. Hopefully E-P3 will be introduced soon!

Pekka
 
Tom Hoots said:
Boy, let me tell you....

If you're even only "remotely" interested in the E-PL2, you owe it to yourself to head down to some local shop that will let you hold one and play with it. Once you get your hands on one, you won't want to leave the store without it.

My favorite local shop had it in stock today, and I spent about 15 minutes playing around with the one on display. I was very impressed with its build quality and with the way it felt in my hand.

Man, it is just night-and-day different from the E-PL1. I've been critical of the E-PL1's build quality -- it's just "cheap" everywhere you look, everywhere you touch it. From the small, low-resolution screen to the buttons, to the general feel of the thing -- well, it's a capable tool, but I'd have to leave it at that.

The E-PL2 just feels GREAT. Excellent. It just fits better in your hand, and it feels dense -- the E-PL1, in comparison, feels plasticky and actually kind of "hollow." Bottom line, the E-PL2 just has that feeling of truly excellent build quality, and the E-PL1 just doesn't. Plus, subtle changes just make the E-PL2 feel amazingly better in your hand.

Just go and get your hands on an E-PL2. It'll be worth the trip.

Tom Hoots
http://thoots.zenfolio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomhoots/
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/4330317199/albums
Click to expand...
So it's as good as an ep2 or not?
 
Len_Gee said:
traveler_101 said:
I would wait to take a look at the new E-P3.
Click to expand...
--
Click to expand...
It hasn't been released yet. Maybe you have a friend in high places at Olympus? Otherwise you'll have to wait like the rest of us. It's a bit of a sport, engaging in speculation about what features the P3 will have. What seems certain, especially now that the E-PL2 has adopted many of the performance features of the E-P2, is that we will be getting the P3 relatively soon. Possibly March/April.
 
I got my hands on one today too. No battery, but I really liked the feel of it. Definitely better than the E-PL1 in my opinion. The grip is much better and the camera feels nice and solid. I didn't like the placement of the rotating dial compared to the dial on my GF1, but again I couldn't turn the camera on to see it in action.

By the way, the bounce flash trick still works as with the E-PL1 (something I was curious about).

--
--------------------------------------------
Panasonic GF1
http://www.flickr.com/photos/grahamgibson/
 
sproket1 said:
I use the E-PL1 for daily photojournalism/street and have never had a single instance of sub-standard build quality. It's plastic yes..but plastic that holds up very well. I agree that the "styling" of the new E-PL2 is nicer compared to the more boxy older model I have.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say it is "substandard" or "flimsy" or anything like that. It just feels rather "built to a low budget," or, the opposite of the E-PL2, which feels like a "premium" product. The E-PL1 is certainly durable, but there's a rather enormous difference between how it looks and feels, as compared to the E-PL2. I don't mean to knock the E-PL1, but there's certainly a look and feel to the E-PL2 that I vastly prefer.

Tom Hoots
http://thoots.zenfolio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomhoots/
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/4330317199/albums
 
John said:
Things like feel, build quality and image quality seem very important to you. The Olympus 75 - 300mm Is much better in all of the above then the Panasonic is. Yes the Panasonic is faster and cheaper but the Olympus is smaller its zoom and focus are silky smooth, better glass and the feel is far superior to the Panasonic. If you want a quality feeling lens to go with the quality of the E-PL2 with its IBIS go with the Olympus. I feel the price difference is worth it. Pics from both lenses are very good.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your thoughts. Definitely, the recent discussion about the Panasonic 100-300mm lens got me interested in "600mm 35mm-equivalent," and that's what got me interested in getting back into an E-PL, to get some of that monster zoom.

I actually did go back to the store and purchase the E-PL2 today, so I've got that part handled. Now it's time to study up on the lenses -- at this point, I basically know that they exist. ;-)

So, thanks again for your thoughts -- that's the kind of information I'll be looking for. I'll definitely move forward with your experiences in mind -- indeed, the price difference isn't enough to keep me from considering the Olympus just as seriously as the Panasonic.

Tom Hoots
http://thoots.zenfolio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomhoots/
http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/4330317199/albums
 
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