The price of most digital cameras tend to trend downwards over time, and the same price drop should occur in the case of the Olympus PEN E-P2 mirrorless interchangeable lens, Micro Four-Thirds digital camera.
The E-P2 was announced on Thursday, 5 November 2009, and features a 12 MP (Megapixels), 4/3” (2x crop factor) Live MOS sensor, a 720p HD movie mode with 1280 x 720 (HD) @ 30 fps and 640 x 480 @ 30 fps capture capabilities. Weight and dimensions are 11.1oz/335g (body only) | 13.6/385g (body, battery and media), and 4.74in (W) x 2.75in. (H) x 1.37 in (D) / 120.5 mm (W) x 70mm (H) x 35mm (D) (excluding protrusions) respectively.
I’m not planning for any scheduled updates, but do check back here from time to time for the latest and best prices on the Olympus E-P2 and related accessories.
The E-P2 is available as a kit (outfit) with the 17mm f/2.8 or 14-42mm kit lenses. Additionally, you get to choose a package that either includes the electronic viewfinder, or doesn’t.
Remember to check the price for the kit and compare that to the individual prices for the body only, viewfinder and lenses. Most of the time, buying the kit saves you money, but it’s sometimes cheaper to buy the body, viewfinder and lenses separately.
Click on the links below to access the most current in-stock and availability information.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Electronic View Finder not included): $815.97 ($84.02 price reduction since the last update).
Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 17mm f/2.8 Lens and Electronic View Finder: $949.00 ($100.93 price drop).
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens: $277.72 ($46.77 price increase).
Olympus E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Electronic View Finder not included): $815.93 ($84.06 price decrease).
Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens and Electronic View Finder: $899.99 (no change in price).
Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 M.Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Black): $261.44 ($5.45 price increase).
Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 M.Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Silver): $251.95 (no change in price).
Electronic Viewfinder VF-2 (Black): $251.99 ($17.96 price reduction).
At the time of writing, and based on the above prices, if you want the E-P2 with the electronic viewfinder and both lenses, it’s cheapest to go with purchasing the E-P2 / 14-42mm / VF-2 kit and, separately, add on the 17mm f/2.8 lens to your shopping cart.
Typical accessories for the E-P2
Olympus PS-BLS1 Li-Ion Battery (7.2V / 1150mAh): $44.44. One unit of the rechargeable battery is already included in the box. However, it’s a good idea to purchase a spare battery as a backup so that the camera doesn’t run out of power during extended shooting sessions.
No memory card is included in the package. For storage, the E-P2 uses SD or SDHC cards.
Refer to Rob Galbraith’s SD / SDHC card write speed tests (done on a Nikon D90) to get an idea on the relative write and read speeds of different brands of cards. At the time of writing (Oct 29, 2009), the SanDisk Extreme III SDHC cards occupy the top two spots.
To ensure smooth recording of video clips / movies / footage, go for SDHC Class 6 (or faster) cards.
Olympus SEMA-1 Mic Adapter Set: $64.47. This attaches to the accessory port on the camera and mounts on the camera’s hot shoe. This set lets you record high quality audio while shooting video.
Good luck shopping for your Olympus E-P2!
Price History Archive / Trend
Monday, May 17, 2010
Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Electronic View Finder not included): $899.99 (no change in prices since the last update).
Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 17mm f/2.8 Lens and Electronic View Finder: $1,049.93 ($35.05 price reduction).
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens: $230.95 ($0.96 price increase).
Olympus E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Electronic View Finder not included): $899.99 (no change in price).
Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens and Electronic View Finder: $899.99 ($149.96 price drop). I’m not sure if it’s a pricing mistake on Amazon’s part, but at the time of writing, the price of an E-P2 / 14-42 kit with the electronic viewfinder costs exactly the same as the kit without the EVF.
Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 M.Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Black): $255.99 ($6.04 price increase).
Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 M.Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Silver): $251.95 (no change in price).
Electronic Viewfinder VF-2 (Black): $269.95 ($19.96 price increase).
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 17mm f/2.8 Lens (Electronic View Finder not included): $899.99
Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 17mm f/2.8 Lens and Electronic View Finder: $1,084.98.
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/2.8 Lens: $229.99.
Olympus E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Electronic View Finder not included): $899.99.
Olympus PEN E-P2 12.3 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens and Electronic View Finder: $1,049.95.
Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 M.Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Black): $249.95.
Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 M.Zuiko Digital Zoom Lens (Silver): $251.95.
Electronic Viewfinder VF-2 (Black): $249.99 (back ordered on Adorama).