By Tan Chong Yaw

ITS first digital Pen, the E-P1, released in July won the hearts of photographers with its retro charm and pleasing image quality.

The second Pen, the E-P2, was announced worldwide last Friday.

The good people at Olympus handed me a pre-production model for this preview.

The story so far: the Pen 2 is the fifth and latest camera on the market based on the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) standard.

So far, only Olympus and Panasonic have such shooters which give big camera performance in a small body.

MFT cameras throw out space-gobbling items in DSLRs like the mirror box and prism.

But the good stuff, like a large sensor for image quality and a range of accessories like lenses and flashes, are kept.

Despite its old-fashioned styling, reminiscent of rangefinder film cameras of yesteryear, the gizmo has thoroughly modern insides.

The winner for me is the detachable electronic viewfinder (EVF), which comes as a standard accessory for the Singapore market.

Without the EVF, the 35g Pen shoots as a compact camera using the 3-inch LCD.

Slot the EVF into the flash hot shoe at the top of the camera. It can be adjusted to any angle from the horizontal to the vertical. I can shoot like I am using a vintage twin lens reflex camera peering down into the viewfinder while the camera faces front.

Through the EVF, things appear more vibrant - like viewing the world in technicolour. The 1.44 megapixel resolution, six times that of its 3-inch LCD, gives a sharp, clear image.

Too bad the EVF does not work on the first Pen: it needs a special accessory port, which looks like a mini-USB slot, to link to the camera.

Plug in any microphone with a standard 3.5mm jack to record clearer sounds when using the E-P2 as a HD-ready camcorder. You just need an optional mike adapter with the new port.

There is no change to the resolution of 12.3 megapixels but the Pen 2 adds two new filters.

One of them, the Diorama, makes a landscape look like it is a scale model. The other, Cross Process, is a trick borrowed from film photography and gives the sharp contrast and strong colours seen in fashion spreads.

The autofocus can now lock on to moving subjects.

When I connected the camera to my Sony Bravia LCD TV using an HDMI cable, the TV turned itself on and displayed what was being played on the Pen.

From the comfort of my bed, using the TV's remote control, I could scroll through the camera's photos and play the Pen's movies - both on my TV. Neat.

While the autofocus does not hesitate even when in a dark area like under my desk, the audible whirring gives the impression that it lacks the snap of DSLRs.

For some inscrutable reason, the Pen 2 still has no built-in flash - something which even a basement bargain compact would sport.

Come on Olympus, even the recently-announced X1 from traditionalist Leica has a pop-up flash. Only the black E-P2(not the silver version) will be sold here. Though its price is yet to be confirmed, the E-P2 will cost more than the first Pen.

Final say

Those who ride on vintage Vespas have a new retro-chic camera with DSLR chops to long for. The included electronic viewfinder is the icing on the cake.

This story was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life.

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