Olympus PEN E-P2

The PEN E-P2 is a mirrorless camera from 2009 that uses the Micro Four Thirds mount. Its body measures 121 x 70 x 36 mm and weighs 355 g, so it counts as a compact package.

It suits photographers who compose on the screen and shoot mostly stills. There is no viewfinder, no video mode and no built-in flash, so it fits unhurried, everyday photography with a small kit.

It takes SD and SDHC cards in a single slot, and the BLS-1 battery is rated at 300 shots, so a spare battery covers a longer outing.

A 12.3 megapixel NMOS sensor in the Micro Four Thirds format sits behind the matching Micro 4/3 mount, and the TruePic V processor drives the imaging pipeline. The Optics score of 45 is a modest result, and the camera places in the bottom 15% of cameras in our database for Optics.

In-body stabilisation reduces camera shake during handheld shooting. Because the mechanism sits in the body, every lens you attach gains the benefit.

The maximum burst rate is 3 fps, which keeps continuous shooting unhurried, and autofocus offers 11 points. The shutter tops out at 1/4000 s.

Sensitivity spans ISO 100 to ISO 6400, a six-stop range reaching from bright conditions into dim interiors. In dim light, where shutter speeds slow down, the in-body shake reduction helps keep handheld frames steady.

The PEN E-P2 does not record video at all. Anyone needing motion footage has to use a different camera.

Built-in timelapse is absent as well, so the camera cannot automate interval shooting on its own.

All composition happens on the 3-inch LCD, and live view makes that workable. The 230,000-dot panel keeps on-screen detail modest. The screen is fixed, with no flip-out articulation and no touch input. The Features score of 36 rates this set as limited.

There is no built-in flash, but the camera supports external flash units, so you can add one when you need extra light, at the cost of carrying a separate unit.

Wireless options are absent: no Wi-Fi, no Bluetooth and no GPS for automatic location tagging. There is no weather sealing either, so keep the body sheltered from rain and dust.

Storage runs on a single SD or SDHC card, with no second slot for backup or overflow. When the card fills, shooting stops until you swap it, so carry spares for a long session.

The BLS-1 battery is rated at 300 shots. That rating carries no stated test conditions, so real-world endurance may differ depending on how you shoot, and a second battery is a sensible companion for longer outings.

The camera cannot charge over USB, so you swap batteries rather than topping them up in place. These storage and power limits sit behind the Storage & Battery score of 16, rated limited.