Olympus PEN E-P1 vs Olympus PEN E-P2 — Which Is Better?

The Olympus PEN E-P1 and Olympus PEN E-P2 are mirrorless cameras released in 2009, and their recorded specifications differ only in announcement date. The E-P1 was announced on 16 June 2009, while the E-P2 followed on 5 November of the same year.

Body measurements are a shared specification, so either camera fills the same space in a bag. Each measures 121 x 70 x 36 mm and weighs 355 g.

Resolution gives no reason to prefer either body, because both capture 12.3 MP on a Micro Four Thirds NMOS sensor. That resolution suits everyday prints and web-sized crops from a 2009 sensor. The standard ISO range also matches at 100 to 6400, so neither offers a wider standard setting.

In-body stabilisation on both cameras steadies handheld shots with any Micro 4/3 lens you mount. The burst and shutter limits match too, at 3 fps and 1/4000 second. Neither has a built-in viewfinder, so both rely on the rear screen for composing.

Casual clips and family footage are the realistic video use for either body, and both record them the same way. Each offers Standard HD video, frame rates up to 30 fps and AVI Motion JPEG files, so neither gives an editing advantage.

Neither camera offers a built-in timelapse mode, so interval work would need external triggering on either body. A clip shot on the E-P1 can be cut alongside a clip from the E-P2 without a change in format or frame rate.

Both cameras compose and review shots on the same screen, so neither gives an advantage for framing or checking focus. Each has a fixed 3-inch LCD with 230,000 dots, live view and no touch input.

Both support an external flash while neither has a built-in unit, which keeps the body slim and leaves flash work to an accessory. Both lack weather sealing, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so neither records location data or transfers files wirelessly.

A single SD or SDHC card serves either camera, so neither body offers dual-slot backup or a different card choice.

Both run on the same BLS-1 battery, rated at 300 shots under the stated test conditions. Neither supports USB charging, so spare batteries rather than a laptop cable are the way to extend a long day out.