Olympus Pen E-PL2 + Lumix 14mm f2.5: a Street Photography Hands on Review
Follow me on the street with my “new” street photography combo
The Olympus PEN E-PL2 is a compact and stylish mirrorless camera renowned for its blend of performance and portability. Offering a 12.3-megapixel sensor and compatibility with Micro Four Thirds lenses, it delivers high-quality images and versatility in a small package. Its intuitive controls and Art Filters make it appealing for both beginners and enthusiasts looking for creative freedom in their photography.
The Lumix 14mm f2.5 lens is a prime lens designed for Micro Four Thirds cameras like the Olympus PEN series. With a wide-angle perspective and a bright aperture of f/2.5, this lens excels in capturing landscapes, street scenes, and low-light situations with impressive clarity and detail. Its compact size perfectly complements the portability of cameras like the E-PL2, making it an ideal choice for on-the-go photographers seeking excellent image quality in a lightweight setup.
In today's landscape where the use of full frame cameras is pushed by camera manufacturers, my choice may appear outdated and even naive. But I believe that photography is not a question of megapixels or even excessive sharpness. Rather, it is the experience produced that allows you to work on what you hear coming from your inner voice that marks the true distinction.
Photographing with the Olympus E-P1 in my first years in Mexico allowed me not only to quickly start working as a correspondent for some newspapers but also to go to Los Angeles with the same camera and exhibit photos that are still admired by many. I remember vividly how the Olympus E-P1 became an extension of my arm, my mind and my heart. I sold it because I became an ambassador for another brand, but with other cameras I have rarely felt that feeling of having the perfect camera for me.
For this reason I wanted to go back to having an Olympus Pen and even if the E-PL2 is not the E-P1 I clearly felt the magic return. As I explain in the video when I press the shutter button everything feels very similar to shooting with a film camera: it feels mechanical and it's a sensation I haven't had with other mirrorless digital cameras.
Olympus PEN E-PL2:
Sensor: 12.3-megapixel Live MOS sensor
Lens Mount: Micro Four Thirds
Image Processor: TruePic V
ISO Range: 200 - 6400 (expandable to 100 - 6400)
Continuous Shooting: Up to 3 frames per second
Video: 720p HD video recording at 30fps
Display: 3.0-inch LCD with 460,000 dots
Autofocus: 11-point AF system
Image Stabilization: Sensor-shift image stabilization
Art Filters: Multiple artistic filter options
Connectivity: HDMI output, USB 2.0
Dimensions: 115mm x 72mm x 42mm
Weight: Approx. 335g (body only)
Lumix 14mm f/2.5 Lens:
Focal Length: 14mm (28mm equivalent in 35mm format)
Maximum Aperture: f/2.5
Minimum Aperture: f/22
Lens Construction: 6 elements in 5 groups
Minimum Focus Distance: 0.18m / 0.59ft
Filter Thread: 46mm
Diagonal Angle of View: 75 degrees
Size: Approx. 55.5mm x 20.5mm
Weight: Approx. 55g
The combination of the Olympus PEN E-PL2 and the Lumix 14mm f/2.5 lens forms a compelling setup for street photography due to several key reasons:
Compact and Lightweight: Both the camera and the lens are small and portable. This makes the setup discreet and easy to carry around for extended periods, allowing photographers to blend into street scenes without drawing too much attention.
Wide-Angle Perspective: The 14mm focal length (equivalent to 28mm in 35mm format) provides a moderately wide-angle view. It's versatile for capturing both expansive street scenes and environmental portraits while maintaining a natural perspective.
Bright Aperture: The f/2.5 aperture of the lens allows for excellent low-light performance and selective focus. In street photography, where lighting conditions can vary, having a wide aperture enables shooting in dimly lit areas and achieving a shallow depth of field when desired, isolating subjects from their surroundings.
Quick and Responsive Performance: The E-PL2 offers responsive autofocus and a relatively fast continuous shooting speed of up to 3 frames per second, allowing photographers to capture fleeting moments and candid expressions on the streets.
Artistic Flexibility: The E-PL2's Art Filters and creative shooting modes provide photographers with options to experiment and add artistic flair to their street shots without the need for extensive post-processing.
Image Stabilization: The camera's sensor-shift image stabilization combined with the lens' capabilities helps in reducing the impact of camera shake, particularly beneficial when shooting handheld in dynamic street environments.
User-Friendly Controls: The intuitive controls and user-friendly interface of the E-PL2 make it suitable for photographers of various skill levels, allowing quick adjustments while on the move.
Overall, the compact size, wide-angle perspective, low-light performance, and ease of use make this combination a great choice for street photographers seeking a versatile, inconspicuous, and capable setup to capture the essence of urban life.
Clearly this is not a combo for everyone. With the variety of offers we have today there are certainly better solutions for you. And maybe for me too. Bear in mind that I found this on the second hand market at the time. My starting choice was an Olympus E-P5 due to the exposure controls with dials. It was there but the price was crazy. And of course I would drool over an Olympus Pen F. The E-PL2 is a camera rleased in 2011. It is a old camera. This means also that it doesn’t count with the focus peak that works great for using manual lenses.
From an operational point of view it is a return to working in a different way with a camera. If I've worked a lot with the Canon EOS M200 over the last year, this has meant having touchscreen controls which are a cross and a delight. keeping the camera hanging from your neck with touch controls forces you to turn off the camera every time. Or, for example, with Fujifilms if you leave the camera on it heats up and you have to turn it off.
This camera still represents the old school and therefore also by not having other functions such as wifi it consumes less battery. It is a camera focused on photography despite has its video functions. You can feel it and this is exactly the reason I loved my Leica X2: a camera essentially thought for photographers.
Photographing in total manual exposure doesn't work in my opinion. Better to go semi-automatic, leaving room for only one decision regarding the exposure triangle: I know it goes against the greater control that I usually require but that's for me with these cameras. In Aperture priority you know that by leaving the decision to the camera for the shutter speed the risk is on having blurry photos: sometimes it works, most of time it doesn’t. On the street I can see how by working on Shutter Speed priority is better. By leaving at 500 sec I am sure to have the frozen moments. During the hands on review anyway I never stopped to experiment passing from manual to shutter speed priority to aperture priority. I think most of the time will be Shutter Speed priority the way to go.
The compact size and lightweight nature of the Olympus PEN E-PL2 paired with the Lumix 14mm f/2.5 lens make it a great fit for street photographers who prefer mobility and comfort while shooting.
Wearable or "carry-friendly" setups are popular among street photographers who need to move swiftly and discreetly through urban environments. The PEN E-PL2's smaller form factor and the modest size of the 14mm lens make it easy to hang around the neck or sling over a shoulder, ensuring it's readily accessible for spontaneous shots without being cumbersome.
Photographers who are on foot for extended periods or navigating crowded spaces often appreciate gear that's unobtrusive yet capable of delivering quality images, and this combo certainly fulfills those criteria.
It fits very well as a camera to “wear”, guys. Don’t get me wrong with this but I think that after more than 1 year with my DSLRs and the M200, I felt the need for something that looked cooler and even seductive. This camera may not be the big thing in terms of retro cameras but it still looks particularly nice in this respect. I was also able to see how people react to seeing it with some comments they have already made to me. With the neewer lens it seems even more nostalgic anyway. I feel the need to treat myself to cameras that align with a retro and vintage idea for the future: we often forget how important it is that the camera we work with also captures our eyes and how this can result in a more enjoyable experience.
M200 is a very good hybrid camera that works great for street photos and for videos and I will continue to use it especially for videography. But now I feel to have again a super coool camera to have with me for street phoptography.
The lens, guys! I can’t forget the lens: the Lumix 14mm stands out not just for its optical quality but also for its incredibly compact and lightweight design. In street photography, where mobility and unobtrusiveness are key, having a lens that performs well without adding bulk is a huge advantage.
Its small size doesn't compromise its capabilities, though. Despite being diminutive, the lens maintains excellent optical quality with its wide aperture of f/2.5, making it versatile for various shooting conditions. This combination of compactness and quality performance makes it an attractive option for photographers seeking a lightweight yet high-performing lens for my street photography adventures.
Most important thing: it is super quick. And all we know how is important to count with a fast lens on the street.
I just purchased online a 28mm optical viewfinder. Do you think is a crazy useless choice? I don’t think so. And this is why:
Optical viewfinders provide a direct, real-time view of the scene without any digital screen lag or distractions. This can aid in composing shots more quickly and accurately, especially in bright conditions where the camera's LCD screen might be hard to see.
By using an optical viewfinder instead of the camera's LCD screen, you can conserve battery power, as you won't be using the electronic viewfinder or the screen continuously. Of course this last observations is not the case with the Olympus Pen series because by having on the menu the control you still need to have the LCD on.
There is a cons that can be a pros in my opinion and that is the parallax error:
With an external optical viewfinder, there might be a parallax error, meaning that the viewfinder doesn't show exactly what the lens sees, particularly in close-up shots or at certain distances. This can affect precise framing, especially in macro or closer shots.
As a peculiar photographer to me the inaccuracy can be a great plus when it comes to street photography, contributing to that serendipity that I often take advantage of. From the point of view of purely aesthetic rendering of the images I can see how the colors look great, even much better than the much vaunted film simulations from Fujifilm. I use the Portrait filter that adds a little bit of warm and it works great for street shots in my opioni.
The fact of counting on a native 4:3 advantages in vertical shooting. This is another reason I was interested to switch back to Micro Four Thirds.
OK, guys, I think I sais enough. Please let me know what you think about my choice, the photos, the video…or let me know if you have any questions.
