Having read multiple review about m4/3 cameras I finally pulled the trigger on the E-PL2 and am very happy with my decision. I was previously a Nikon DSLR user (D40, D5000, D5100) and was sick of carrying around a giant camera bag whenever I wanted to take some serious pictures. And the fact that when you show up with a DSLR with a speed light people normally assume you're the "party photographer" or "event staff". I tried to make concessions and just use my wife's point and click, but having been spoiled by the IQ of my DSLR found myself lugging that body around anyway.
Enter the E-PL2, not a miniature camera, but small enought that I can carry it all day and barely notice it. I bought the two lens kit (14-42mm 40-150mm) for a steal on eBay and picked up the 20mm Panasonic. The camera takes great pictures with the kit lenses, they are fast and don't "focus-hunt" nearly as long as most point and click. It's not as fast as the DSLR but I can live with that (read: I'm not a sport photographer nor do I have small kids). The IQ is amazing from this little body, almost hard to believe that I carried around that Nikon for so long. I've compared shots from the D5000 and believe the E-PL2 wins in many categories. The in-camera editing and art filters are nice but nothing you can't do in post production.
The 20mm Panny deserves a review of its own. In hindsight I would tell people to buy the E-PL2 body and the 20mm Panny and call it a day. If you need the telephoto grab a 40-150 later, or go for the expensive 14-150mm (which I'll be picking up soon and selling the 2 lens equivalent). I'd take this over the e-pl3 and e-p2 because both of them lack something the E-PL2 has (mainly the flash). The e-pl3 feels like a toy compared to the E-PL2 and th E-P2 cost more and lacks features.
Problems:
14-42mm kit lens will focus seek in low light but the 20mm panny makes up for that. Two batteries is a must, having to use the LCD for every shot kills the battery. Menu's take a second to adjust if you're not an Olympus user.
Enter the E-PL2, not a miniature camera, but small enought that I can carry it all day and barely notice it. I bought the two lens kit (14-42mm 40-150mm) for a steal on eBay and picked up the 20mm Panasonic. The camera takes great pictures with the kit lenses, they are fast and don't "focus-hunt" nearly as long as most point and click. It's not as fast as the DSLR but I can live with that (read: I'm not a sport photographer nor do I have small kids). The IQ is amazing from this little body, almost hard to believe that I carried around that Nikon for so long. I've compared shots from the D5000 and believe the E-PL2 wins in many categories. The in-camera editing and art filters are nice but nothing you can't do in post production.
The 20mm Panny deserves a review of its own. In hindsight I would tell people to buy the E-PL2 body and the 20mm Panny and call it a day. If you need the telephoto grab a 40-150 later, or go for the expensive 14-150mm (which I'll be picking up soon and selling the 2 lens equivalent). I'd take this over the e-pl3 and e-p2 because both of them lack something the E-PL2 has (mainly the flash). The e-pl3 feels like a toy compared to the E-PL2 and th E-P2 cost more and lacks features.
Problems:
14-42mm kit lens will focus seek in low light but the 20mm panny makes up for that. Two batteries is a must, having to use the LCD for every shot kills the battery. Menu's take a second to adjust if you're not an Olympus user.