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Olympus E-PL2 Micro Four Thirds camera now shipping, Penpal still has us buzzing
Right on cue, Olympus' latest entrant into the world of Micro Four Thirds is now shipping. Just a month after receiving its official unveil at CES, the E-PL2 is finally taking over for the E-PL1. Aside from an ISO range topping out at 6,400, a 3-inch rear LCD, an SDXC slot, RAW image support and a newfangled accessory port, this guy's also fully compatible with the Penpal Bluetooth dongle. For those unaware, that enables photos to be shared and uploaded on the fly so long as your BT-enabled, 3G-ready smartphone is by your side, though it looks as if the camera itself has beat said accessory to market. The camera's yours for the taking at $599.99 (bundled with a ED m14-42mm f3.5/5.6 zoom lens) at the source links below. [Thanks, Tom]
Olympus E-PL2 camera gets reviewed, deemed worthy to carry on the E-PL1's torch
Olympus's E-PL2 only surfaced on the public radar just last month, and already reviews are rolling in indicating The Schwartz is quite strong with this latest Micro Four Thirds entrant. Interestingly enough, both Photography Blog and Popular Mechanics saw the improved MSC 14 to 42mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens as the most important change to the new rig. That's because it's been retooled to be lighter, slimmer, and shorter, adding to the overall compact feel of the camera. A new internal focus is also apparently much faster and nearly silent -- making it more appealing for video shooting. Outside of the lens changes, both saw the camera's new 3-inch, 460,000-dot LCD, faster max shutter speeds, and greater ISO sensitivity as welcomed additions to the solid foundations laid by the E-PL1, resulting in a highly recommended rating from PB. Reviewers at Popular Mechanics also futzed around with the new Bluetooth-enabled photo sharing PENPal accessory and found it great for transferring photos to a phone -- but lamented how it blocked the camera's hot shoe in the process. To dive into all the juicy review details for yourself hit up the source links below.
Olympus E-PL2 camera leaked, Penpal Bluetooth dongle to share photos via smartphone
CES 2011 is just around the bend, and while LG's 72-inch monstrosity will undoubtedly see its fair share of attention, Olympus is hoping to shake things up in the camera realm. Or so we're led to believe. The shot above is purportedly the first leaked image of the outfit's forthcoming E-PL2, the Micro Four Thirds followup to the E-PL1. The real question here is this: did Olympus' engineers take your advice on how to change it? According to 43 Rumors, this guy will ship with a new 14-42mm f/3.5 - 5.6 kit lens, a 'direct movie' button, high-res 3-inch display, an ISO ceiling of 6400 and an intriguing Bluetooth module as an option. Cleverly dubbed Penpal, this is essentially the most sensible method of sending photos you snap on your camera to the web, be it on Facebook, Flickr or any other social network. If you've got the apparatus plugged into the hot shoe, you can sync it with your BT-enabled smartphone (Android or "Windows Mobile," we're told) and use its cellular connection to complete the upload. Definitely a more logical approach than shoving a 3G chip into a digicam, and undoubtedly a trend we expect to see take off in 2011. Regrettably, there's no pricing or release information to share, but all should be revealed in a matter of days.
