Hi I have an E-PL1 and have come into some extra money so am wanting to . upgrade this body. (having acquired some great lenses) Should I go for and E-PL2 or E-PL3 for only £80 more? Is it worth the difference? in terms of usability and AF speed? ISO performance? I may miss the grip feature from the E-PL1 and I do use the flash occasionally on my E-PL1....mmm Any thoughts appreciated. Peter
For AF speed the E-PL3 is worth it, for ISO performance probably not so much. The E-PL2 was already doing quite well. The body design of the E-PL2 is more along the lines of the E-P3 though, whereas the E-PL3 is a completely new design. I would make the decision based more on design than performance in this comparison. Which body design do you prefer? The E-PL2 is thicker with a beefy grip and includes a pop-up Remote Flash Commander (useful to trigger optical flashes while using the EVF on the hotshoe), whereas the E-PL3 is smaller but with an articulating screen. Either will be a nice upgrade to your E-PL1.
Please note that AF difference with Panny 20mm is not substantial although still noticeable especially in low light. The difference in AF, shutter lag and write times is quite dramatic with other lenses.
Thanks, i gathered the 20mm lens is slow AF anyway, I am hoping it's fast with the new 45mm...the reviews say so.
Epl2 vs epl3 Dear Manju There are five major Advantages of EPL3 over EPL2 1) EPL3 offers a tilt LCD which is quite useful 2)EPL3 Offers a faster frame rate 3fps VS 5.2 fps 3) EPL3 offers faster Autofocus and full HD AVCHD video vs HD and AVI format in EPL2 4) EPL3 has more AF points than EPL2 5) AF illuminator in EPL3 which makes life easier while shooting in low light Now EPL2 has two advantages 1) same Image quality at lower price 2) inbuilt Flash If inbuilt flash and money is not a major deal then just buy EPL3 and start shooting .Olympus is supplying flash with the camera this time and if u can live with clip in flash then just gran EPL3 . Cheers Bhupinder .
The E-PL1 might actually deliver the sharpest and most detailed jpegs by a slight margin in good lighting. According to http://www.imaging-resource.com/PROD /EPL2/EPL2A.HTM "Default noise suppression is stronger in the E-PL2, [compared to the E-PL1] and sharpening has been turned down. There is slightly less chroma and luminance noise in the shadows in the E-PL2's images, and sharpening halos are less prominent. Detail in the mosaic image is also less distinct. The red leaf swatch is darker and less detailed, and the pink fabric beneath does not show the weave pattern that we see in the E-PL1. We can only imagine that you could approximate the results from the E-PL1 by reducing noise suppression strength and increasing sharpening." E-PL1 also can shoot at ISO 100 whereas the E-PL2 and E-PL3 cannot shoot lower than ISO 200. Thus the E-PL1 may be the best landscape camera of all the pen cameras but not as good when shooting in low light situations.
The E-PL2 has the better grip, the builtin flash, and the better screen. The E-PL3 has faster AF, a tiltable (though smaller) screen, and better video. There is no difference in high ISO performance. DH
Thanks all. Went for the EPL3 for smaller size and faster AF. Decided a clip on flash was fine as I rarely use the flash. After a quick play with it today I am pleased. I was worried about the grip issue but so far it seems fine and it can be added if needed. I love the compactness and the look. Feels solid compared to the EPL1, and with the new 45mm it's a sweet combo. The tiltable screen is more handy than I thought too. Now I want to stop upgrading and settle into learning!
If you don't use flash then you should adorn that hotshoe with a VF-2 viewfinder instead. You won't be disappointed!
Just another "two cent" opininon: 1) Get yourself glass only this round. 2) Olympus should have a new sensor in their next round of cameras...(otherwise, Olympus will seriously be inhaling Panasonic exhaust)
Oops. Too late! I also suffer from impatience. I bet the next PEN models will have better sensors etc but for my needs (an enthusiastic amateur )- the quality is already amazing and a hundred times better than my last p&s camera.