Olympus E-PL2 in Stock in Europe (+ Kirk’s Definitive Opinion about the E-PL2)
Olympus is much faster than Panasonic in making announced products available in stores. Three weeks after the announcement many european stores do have the E-PL2 in Stock! Click the shop links to visit the shop links:
Germany -> Amazon.de, eBay.de
France -> Amazon.fr (available next week), Pixmania.fr (available next week), eBay.fr
UK -> Amazon.uk (available next week), eBay.uk
Italy -> Pixmania.it, eBay.it
Austria -> Amazon.de, eBay.at
Feel free to comment this post to add your shop links.
Kirk Tuck posted his final view over the new Olympus E-PL2: “While I like the EP2 I find that the real reason to want the EPL2 is its sheer stealth. The matte black finish is less showy and more businesslike. The lines of the design serve to visually reduce it’s profile. It fits in my hand with very little to spare around the edges and when I wear it against my chest on a black sweat shirt its aspect nearly vanishes. I can barely feel its weight on the strap. Little more than the premium compacts in size and weight and price but a huge step up in performance. At $599 it’s hard to make a case against it.” Please visit his website to read the very long article!
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Recent comments
Comment from Ptrck: I seems than in France it will be availa...
Comment from greyhat: The old lens seems to be better in IQ, a...- Comment from greyhat: Dear George,
You may be surprised tha...
Comment from Spoo: Wow. Using a meaningless statistic to ar...
Ulli
2 years ago |i see it for 469 euros on a german ebay buynow auction..very tempting!
Gabi
2 years ago |The red dot problem is serious IMHO. They should do something about it…
NexusN
2 years ago |In some humble professor’s experience, the red dots are only stupid shots and E-PL2 is definitely a good machine.
Though as an owner of that and to my stupidity, I hope that Olympus will have some sorts of solution.
Boss
2 years ago |Yeah, who aims there lens directly at the sun? The camera is phenomenal in many ways, and I cannot wait to get my personal copy…
Jim Ramsey Khoury
2 years ago |I don’t know how many people actually point their cameras to the sun…
bilgy_no1
2 years ago |It was also shown that many other cameras have the exact same problem.
Boss
2 years ago |@ Jim and @bilgy… Exactly, it has happened on other cameras I have. Plus, I’m guessing the kit lens was used, which probably has a certain type of coating, whereas other lens may not use the same coating…. And the kit lens is nice, but I’m guessing mine will be permanently removed soon after I get mine and replaced with primes (20 mm f1.7 and 50 mm f2.0 Zuiko). Plus if sun is really an issue, a polarized may be necessary anyways….
greyhat
2 years ago |IMHO red dot is related to lens not camera.
Now being technical…
Lens is construction is totally different to be silent on movie and (supposedly) faster to focus: it has a small mass moving lens group.
But…
has less peak sharpeness but its sharpeness is less aperture dependant
has less one ED glass element (probably the red dot cause)
Bashing the camera is wrong. Probably all the ones that do not value video and lens adapters should buy body only and then old lens (or other better lens)
Now try to find a body only deal… I haven’t found one. Old lens is cheap though: 150 EUR in NL (remember that E-PL2 camera with version II lens is 570 EUR in NL)
Better deal may be E-PL1 (420 EUR) and buy additional EFV or…
buy with other lens and buy a Panasonic OIS lens because IS is critical for movie (more than for still IMO)
Resume:
new lens is a consumer grade lens. E-PL2 seems to be a fine consumer camera that can be used by PROs (with proper lenses for ultimate IQ)
E-PL1 seems to be a better deal
E-PL2 price is kept high because E-PL1 is still available (the reason it was not discontinued IMO)
E-PL2 will decrease soon: Olympus PRO-MFT and Nikon Mirrorless
You may do what I’m planning to do: wait for E-PL2 price drop if you have another camera.
panasonic
2 years ago |boring camera for me
good for others 
bilgy_no1
2 years ago |For low cost Options in the Netherlands:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1041&message=37483689
Several options already, way below the MSRP.
George
2 years ago |Another useless camera from Oly.
Spoo
2 years ago |And another useless comment from George. Why don’t you put your ceaseless bashing on hiatus and actually offer something constructive?
greyhat
2 years ago |why useless? because Olympus think it will give lots of cash and helps it enter in new market segment – P&S upgraders – that generate more money than pro market? Panasonic said that segment is 23 Mi users.
Maybe you meant “useless to you”.
greyhat
2 years ago |One more thing:
Remember that Olympus (and Panasonic) is dividing market in two: P&S upgraders (Olympus E-PLx) and enthusiasts/Pros (future PRO MFT).
IMO is a good move and market is confirming (E-PL1 lower end E-P1 is biggest success in one side and Nikon aiming pro mirrorless is confirming the need for Olympus Pro M43)
George
2 years ago |And do you know the percentage of that 23 million people that are buying lenses for P&S
0 right? so you think DLSR is only about selling bodies. You think P&S market is bigger then DSLR especially after cell phone cameras 
omg you are not that bright aren’t you?
Spoo
2 years ago |Wow. Using a meaningless statistic to argue an unsupportable and irrelevant statement. Pot calls kettle black, from the dimmest bulb in the chandelier.
greyhat
2 years ago |Dear George,
You may be surprised that in US it is 22 mi P&S vs 2 DSLR in 2010 (http://cameras.about.com/b/2010/03/04/report-25-million-digital-cameras-to-be-sold-in-u-s-in-2010.htm). 10 to 1. DSLR has better margins, though. I don’t know which generates more money. _I_ suspect P&S.
Maybe Panasonic is right and market is really 23 mi. Maybe not.
The 23 Mi is not P&S: it is p&S upgraders wanting a better camera and pros wanting a smaller body with similar IQ.
(IMO there are more P&S upgraders than Pros in those 23 Mi. But it is my non confirmed opinion.)
Still, I think you agree that they are two very different (sub)market segments. Different sub segment value different things.
For P&S upgraders they may don’t care (for the price) plastic body and non weather sealed lens+body.
IMO (again my opinion) people that have today good cell phone cameras, don’t want anymore P&S: they either go with power zooms, entry-level DSLRs and mirrorless.
(Of course there are people that buy a D700 and other pro level bodies but let’s forget those for now).
Panasonic said that that mirrorless share together with Pros (that want a smaller body and willing to accept a “slight” lower IQ) is 23 Mi.
Olympus (and Panasonic with GF2) bet on the first share.
Because I think Olympus and Panasonic have educated people they went first (while market was not still explored) for the segment with better return. The fact that Panasonic is unhappy with G2 sales may certify what I’m saying.
Nikon started later where lower end of market segment is filled and to protect Nikon Pro customers, seems to target the other end of market segment.
Olympus is targeting both extremes (the better option if you read recent marketing books).
Panasonic target middle first. GHx were not really top segment but mid to top. Now Panasonic is target low end (GF2). They could not target the very Top (like Nikon and Olympus) because it will impact its GHx).
These are my opinions. They may be wrong. As anyone.
I still believe that inside companies that are making money for several years, not everyone is stupid.
Its another “my opinion” that may be wrong.
Dummy00001
2 years ago |> Kirk Tuck posted his final view over the new Olympus E-PL2
It was a long time since I have enjoyed reading a camera review.
Bunfoolio
2 years ago |Hey George I am your P&S customer and buying this camera when it comes out. I would have bought another P&S but i saw what is going on with cell phone cameras and realized that I can get a lot better quality pictures. Also I wanted something very small and portable bacasue I would never use a big DSLR. As I play with it I might buy more lenses. You have to start somewhere.
Peter
2 years ago |in frankfurt on stock, i did hold it in my hands.
very good quality, much better, stronger then sony alpha 390 or canon 1000/500.
but different to my Olympus slr, how to manage this little wheel with four side click at the same place? maybe it only takes a little time.
and how does it work with my lenses?
anyway, without viewfinder i dont like it, i have to wait for e-pl3 or….
mambastik
2 years ago |I’m just waiting to see tests of the new kit lens on the E-pl1 to see if the faster focus is because of the lens, the new body, or a combination of both.
dCap
2 years ago |at least one uk shop has broken the EPL2+14-42 kit into body only (for those that don’t want the zoom and don’t care about the box) … personally I think I’d take it with the zoom and eBay the lens
greyhat
2 years ago |The old lens seems to be better in IQ, at least its peak performance is better.
I also understand that for a consumer user the second lens is better: you can record a movie without noise, does not shake as much (two barrels), and does not have personality when you look at 100% crops, you don’t think that sometimes you’re lucky others you’re not.
(I explain: sharpeness does not vary depending on aperture set until difraction of course – IQ is constant through aperture range and consumer shot more in auto).
I personally think that if you want to make movies you should pick a Panasonic lens because of OIS – OIS is more important for movies than for stills, IMO. If you seldom make movies.
The solution may be get the zoom kit (or the 14-150 to have only one travel lens) and get additional better IQ lens on the extremes (e.g. Oly 9-18, Panasonic 100-300 or Pana 7-14, Oly 75-300 and next oly 50 f2 for portraits)
possible good kits:
– standard zoom kit + 9-18 for more landscape small travel kit
– 14-150 zoom kit + 9-18 for travel kit
– E-PL2 body 9-18 + 100-300 for birds and landscape and optional 50 f2 for protraits
dCap
2 years ago |I’ve not seen the EPL2 in the UK with the 17mm as a kit yet – perhaps that’s a Japan only deal?
and again: congrats to Oly for getting this from (leak to) announcement to in the stores in such quick fashion [ahem, nudge-nudge: Panasonic, are you reading this?]
Boss
2 years ago |It is now in stock at B&H photo!
Ptrck
2 years ago |I seems than in France it will be available next month and not next week according Pixmania…Wait and see