Olympus Pen E-PM2 review
Exceptional performance and high image quality, but the controls could be more elegant
Specifications
17.3x13mm 16.0-megapixel sensor, 3.0x zoom (28-84mm equivalent), 382g
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IMAGE QUALITY – CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE
Image quality was generally excellent, as we’d expect from a camera that shares the same sensor and image processing engine as the £1,000 E-M5. Colours were rich and flattering and details were crisp, with noise remaining unobtrusive up to ISO 3200. The top ISO 25600 is overly optimistic but we’d use ISO 12800 for casual snaps.
There’s plenty of definition in the dark, dense texture of the ivy
There’s barely any evidence of noise in this low-light shot
Image quality wasn’t faultless, though. Whereas most CSCs use digital correction to eliminate chromatic aberrations, this isn’t available in Pen cameras. Sure enough, tell-tale halos of discolouration was visible towards the edges of the frame in high-contrast scenes. We found the autofocus to be a little unwieldy when shooting macro subjects. Otherwise, autofocus was up to scratch but it wasn’t always as reliably sharp as the Panasonic GF6’s.
Details could be a little more precise here, but it’s hardly a bad result
There’s some purple fringing here, whereas rival cameras didn’t suffer the same problem in the same shot
CSC Shootout – IMAGE QUALITY TEST – Sony NEX-3N, Olympus Pen E-PM2, Nikon S1 and Panasonic GF6
Here we compare image quality, in numerous scenarios, between the four current budget CSCs. Click through to YouTube and view at 1080p for 1:1 pixel comparisons
The video mode is well specified, with automatic, priority and manual exposure plus tracking focus with the help of the touchscreen. It took us a while to find and enable the latter option, though. Video capture is fixed at 30fps, which is fine for most people but 24 and 25fps options would have been welcome. Picture quality was decent enough but details looked a little coarse compared to rival CSCs from Panasonic, Sony and Nikon.
CSC Shootout – VIDEO QUALITY TEST – Sony NEX-3N, Olympus Pen E-PM2, Nikon S1 and Panasonic GF6
Here we video quality, outdoors and indoors, between the four current budget CSCs. Click through to YouTube and view at 1080p for 1:1 pixel comparisons
CONCLUSION
The E-PM2 has plenty going for it, but comparisons with the Panasonic GF6 generally don’t lie in its favour. It scores a clear victory for continuous shooting speed but its controls aren’t as elegant and its detachable flash unit is cumbersome. The GF6 doesn’t have an accessory shoe but it hits back with a higher-resolution articulated screen, a mode dial, automatic panorama stitching, HDR capture and time-lapse recording. The GF6 also has built-in Wi-Fi, while the Olympus requires the use of a £35 FlashAir 8GB card. The Olympus E-PL5 is a better match for the GF6 with its articulated screen and mode dial, but it costs £450 including VAT.
At £400 then, the E-PM2 seems overpriced. At present, though, it is available with a free 17mm F2.8 pancake lens; it’s both fast and compact and will cost you around £200 if bought separately. This alone makes the E-PM2 a great alternative to the GF6 right now, keep the lens or sell it on and get a huge potential discount, but we’ll have to re-evaluate the camera when the offer ends.
Basic Specifications | |
---|---|
Rating | **** |
CCD effective megapixels | 16.0 megapixels |
CCD size | 17.3x13mm |
Viewfinder | optional electronic |
Viewfinder magnification, coverage | N/A |
LCD screen size | 3.0in |
LCD screen resolution | 460,000 pixels |
Articulated screen | No |
Live view | Yes |
Optical zoom | 3.0x |
Zoom 35mm equivalent | 28-84mm |
Image stabilisation | optical, sensor shift |
Maximum image resolution | 4,608×3,456 |
File formats | JPEG, RAW; QuickTime (AVC), AVI (M-JPEG) |
Physical | |
Memory slot | SDXC |
Mermory supplied | none |
Battery type | Li-ion |
Battery Life (tested) | 360 shots |
Connectivity | USB, AV, micro HDMI |
Body material | aluminium |
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds |
Focal length multiplier | 2.0x |
Kit lens model name | Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 II R |
Accessories | USB cable |
Weight | 382g |
Size | 66x110x87mm |
Buying Information | |
Warranty | one year RTB |
Price | £400 |
Supplier | http://www.currys.co.uk |
Details | www.olympus.co.uk |
Camera Controls | |
Exposure modes | program, shutter priority, aperture priority, manual |
Shutter speed | 60 to 1/4,000 seconds |
Aperture range | f/3.5-22 (wide), f/5.6-22 (tele) |
ISO range (at full resolution) | 200 to 25,600 |
Exposure compensation | +/-3 EV |
White balance | auto, 7 presets with fine tuning, manual, Kelvin |
Additional image controls | contrast, saturation, sharpness, gradation, shading compensation, colour space |
Manual focus | Yes |
Closest macro focus | 25cm |
Auto-focus modes | multi, flexible spot, face detect, tracking |
Metering modes | multi, centre-weighted, centre, highlight, shadow, face detect |
Flash | auto, forced, suppressed, slow synchro, rear curtain, red-eye reduction |
Drive modes | single, continuous, self-timer, AE bracket, WB bracket, ISO bracket |