Just Received My E-P2

[J. Allen]

Recieved my E-P2 with the 17 2.8 lens. FL-14 flash and an extra battery. I am very, very impressed with the image quality. Bit of a challenge moving through the various set-ups, particularly deciding how to choose my own focus point but I'm almost there. May end up dedicating the arrow keys to that function.

Upgraded to firmware 1.1. Focus is faster but it wasn't all that slow to begin with.

I shoot RAW and my update to CS5 arrives today so I'll be able to do the conversion directly in CS5 (vice my old CS3 which won't recognize the files) without using Master 2 which is a bit cumbersome and requires a save to tif.

I'm impressed with the results from 17 2.8. Bit more depth of field wide open than I expected but it's very sharp. The files take alot of post processing filters without any degradation in image quality. I use NIK filters pp extensively. Dynamic range is better than a point and shoot by a large margin but not up to my 1.3 crop sensor's.

The pana 20 1.7 arrives today. Really looking forward to using that as well.

I'm also impressed with the FL-14. Exposure is nicely done and it fills a nice size room with light. Very small and easy to put in a pocket.

I think I'm going with a wrist strap. I removed those annoying and noisy metal clips that the neck strap attaches too.

My plan for this camera is as a walk around. I've got a 1DMKIII with a 50 1.2, 16-35, 135, 180 macro, 70-200 2.8IS and all the kit that goes wit it but even with one of the lighter lenses it's just too much to carry around all day. The image quality of the e-p2 is close enough that I know I will really enjoy it and use it a lot more than the MKIII which I'll still use for more serious work.

I think the 4/3 format is an excellent vehicle for transitioning into a Leica M9 for example. I'm looking forward to getting a Summicron 35 in a couple of months to use on e-p2 in the mean time. So the evf will be my next addition.

I really enjoy this forum and look forward to a long time with the 4/3's format.

 

[bilzmale]

Congats on the new camera and welcome to the forum. You are building a nice kit. BTW we are micro 4/3. I came from the 4/3 dslr format myself with no regrets. It will be interesting to see how much use your Canon kit gets now.

 

[BBW]

Welcome J. Allen and I'll add my congratulations here, too! Looking forward to your photos and involvement across the board.

 

[J. Allen]

Thanks bilzmale. Micro 4/3 have to remember that. I know the dslr kit is going to see a lot less use. I'll take it out for sports and serious fun but I am so impressed with the quality of the micro 4/3 output and ease of use that I can't believe it. I am really looking forward to going into the city for a day and being able to take a camera that will produce the quality images that are so close to what I'm used to.

 

[riveredger]

FWIW, the Olympus JPEG engine on these cameras is fabulous. You may want to shoot in RAW + JPEG for a while and see if the RAW processing is even worth it for you. From what I've seen, there isn't much to be gained by shooting RAW with a PEN.

 

[elopezso]

I agree completely with riveredgers assessment. I've compared the jpegs and raws from this camera extensively in Lightroom, Aperture and Capture One (I own a leica M9 and a Nikon D700 & both require raw conversion) and the OOC color in the jpegs are better. No matter what I do to the raw files in any of the programs, I can't replicate the gorgeous and accurate colors from the OOC jpegs. Thus, I only shoot raw when the lighting is very tough and thus the white balance seems off.

 

[J. Allen]

Thanks for the tip on jpegs. Shooting anything but raw is going to be very hard to break but I'll check out the jpegs.

 

[Brian Mosley]

Congratulations, and welcome to the club!

cheers

Brian

 

[DDG]

No matter what I do to the raw files in any of the programs, I can't replicate the gorgeous and accurate colors from the OOC jpegs.

To my eyes, the RAW to JPEG conversions from the Olympus Viewer 2 software look identical to the OOC JPEGS, even though the file size is much smaller (and the compression higher?) than both the RAW file and the OOC JPEG.

 

[elopezso]

OOC JPEGS

You are absolutely correct about the raw files converted from the Olympus raw converter. The problem with that raw converter, unlike Aperture, Lightroom, or Capture One, is that it is not easy to use and just clunkier in general.
Additionally, and don't ask me why, as you have stated, the compression is greater!

 

[J. Allen]

Few thoughts after a couple of days

The smaller focusing box available on the zoom focusing screen when you're not zoomed in to focus seems to improve focusing for macro work. The camera seems to capture the subject more rather than the background which it had a tendency to on the other screens with the large focus area. Once I've selected the small focus box on that screen it stays there whenever I come back to that screen even after the camera is turned off. Moving the box is a bit slow though since it moves in very small amounts. Seems set up for macro work but the focus for portraits and more general shot seems faster and more accurate as well. I don't know if the smaller box decreases the focusing area but it seems to.

I'm surprised how much smaller the 17 2.8 lens is on the camera compared to the 20 1.7. Side by side they don't look very different but it's noticeable when you put the camera in a pocket. I much prefer the oly lens cap over the pana lens cap which can get knocked off more easily due to its design.

I can see the advantages of using the 17mm lens outdoors on bright days. The 20 will open all the way when using zoom mode to focus and then bounce out of zoom mode when a bright light source enters the frame. I assume this is to protect the sensor as the 20 is wide open. Although I prefer the images from the 20 I'm glad I have the 17 as well due to the size difference, suitablility for brighter lighting and apparently a bit faster focus.

The digital leveler was off by 2 clicks to the right and down. The photos seemed off when I used it and I confirmed it 3 times using a level surface and bubble level on a tripod.

They really seem to have thought of everything with this camera. Everything works well from iauto, p, other modes and even the little FL-14 flash is a gem. Exposure with the flash is excellent though in manual mode ev exposure compensation flashes which is a mystery as the results are still proper exposure.

HD movies are amazing though you do hear the lens focusing and the caf-tracking seems a bit wonky as you try to follow the focus square as you move the camera. Still the focus works surprisingly well and the sound is very good. Manual mode is very cool.

My EVF-2 arrives tomorrow. Definitely looking forward to that for manual focus and bright conditions. Takes a lot of turning of the lens in manual focus.

This is certainly a great forum without any whining. Please let me know if I should go about something differently. I thought it made sense to post my thoughts here rather than start a new thread for example but maybe it should have been a new thread.

 

[riveredger]

Your summary sounds spot on to me. Although, I am still unsure if changing the zoom box really changes the AF area. I will play with that when I get some time. I've had a manual Nikon lens mounted for a few days and haven't had a chance to test the zoom box trick yet. Incidentally, I find the VF-2 to be perfect for manually focusing - you will like it.

 

[J. Allen]

I'm on the fence about the smaller zoom box as well. I have to play with it some more but my gut is that it's simply showing you where it is going to zoom in. I'm not sure they could change the sensitivity area of the focus box and it doesn't behave like a focus area where you move it.

 

[J. Allen]

I've been playing around with it and I don't think the smaller box on the zoom "green box" screen makes the focus area smaller. It shows where the manual focus will be when you zoom in more precisely. I don't see a difference in focus with the few shots that I've taken so far where I've been very careful about centering the focus point using the larger box. I think it does make you more accurate in focusing by placing the center point more precisely with the small box as opposed to being careless with what's in the center of the large box.

 

[vciinc]

Try this if you need recommended settings

Maybe this will help

The Visual Science Lab / Kirk Tuck: The EP2, San Antonio Fun shoot, shake out, field test, fun color stuff.

 

[J. Allen]

Great link, thanks.