The Olympus E-P2 has the same elegant shooter's design as its older sibling, the E-P1.
Lori Grunin
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
Like its sister, the E-P1, the body feels very well-made, and is comfortable to shoot with. A switch on the kit lens (14-42mm) lets you retract it into a smaller footprint when not in use.
The optional viewfinder can tilt up to 90 degrees. Though I'm generally not a big fan of EVFs, and this design makes me feel like I'm looking through a microscope, it's amazingly fun and useful to have the tilt.
One of the drawbacks to the viewfinder is that it vastly increases the height of the camera. It also uses the hot shoe, which means you can't use flash and the VF at the same time (or the VF and the optional mic, either).
Despite the retro design, the control layout and menus are typical digital camera. The four-way navigation buttons are part of a dial, and you can use the zoom scroller to navigate as well.
The tiny, recessed mode dial gives the top a nice clean look, and Olympus doesn't crowd it with more features than can comfortably fit. In addition to the standard PASM, auto, and scene modes, Olympus includes its Art Filters. The E-P2 adds two to the original six: Diorama, which simulates the effect of a tilt-shift lens, and cross-process, which shifts colors.
An info button at the bottom right cycles through a lot of (some might say too many) display choices. You can also pull up Olympus' typical Super Control Panel, an overstuffed display where you can adjust most frequently needed shooting settings plus some not-so-frequently used ones, like white-balance compensation and black and white filter. There's a much more useful simplified version in which you cycle around the outer edge of the display to adjust shutter speed, aperture, white balance, drive mode, image stabilization mode, aspect ratio, image size and quality, flash options, ISO sensitivity, metering, autofocus, face detection, and AF target (auto using all 11 AF areas or user selectable).
