Olympus PEN E-P2

The one function that blew the bejezzus out of me are the camera's art modes that contains options like high-contrast black and white, vignetting, soft focus, diorama, etc. All of these modes are simple enough to achieve in Photoshop, but considering that the camera uses them as scene modes means that you get a preview of what your final image will look like when using these art modes, which is a great help during framing a shot. Moreover, you get the option to try out different effects to enhance just about any scenario you're shooting in, getting more out of any situation. All these options usually come under Lomography category, but the E-P2 gives you all of that right out of the box.

Of course when using these modes to shoot you need to understand that it takes quite a bite out of the camera's processing power, so be patient if the liveview seems to be a bit low on framerate, or the camera takes a bit of time to process after every shot. Rest assured, the end result is always worth it.

In our tests, the camera performed magnificently under just about all lighting conditions. Fine details were well represented by the E-P2, and unless you're shooting at higher ISOs, the dark areas were low on noise as well.

The color reproduction was almost spot on, with just a minute tinge of added saturation, which is not perfect, but pretty good. The reds and the greens did lose out on a minute bit of detailing, but not to the extent that will show up in standard sized prints.

The shot-to-shot timing of the EP-2 varied quite a bit depending on the mode used, with it being faster on all the regular shooting modes and a lot slower on the Art modes. In fact, the camera disables the continuous shooting mode in all the Art modes.

The EP-2 is a great camera, no, it's a brilliant camera. Not only does it look and feel great, but it also has the best looking results you can get from a compact camera, thanks to its large sensor. Its price of Rs. 59,995 (EP2 with micro zuiko digital 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 ED) is a hell lot for a compact camera, but frankly this is the best compact camera you can buy today.

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