Last updated on 2026-01-14
A review and sample photos taken using the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL2 12.3 megapixel mirrorless digital camera with a Micro Four Thirds prime lens.
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Table of contents
Gallery
The following lenses were used to take the example photos:
Review
1．Overview
Olympus PEN Lite E-PL2 is a low-end mirrorless camera released by Olympus (now OM-SYSTEMS) in 2011.
Its main specifications include a 4/3-inch Live MOS sensor with 12.3 megapixels, a 3-inch 460,000-dot rear LCD screen, and the ability to attach three external LCD viewfinders: VF-2, VF-3, and VF-4.
2．Usability
Since I only purchased the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL2 body, I shot with a Micro Four Thirds prime lens.
The camera’s relatively small size makes it a good match for prime lenses, and its sensor performance allows it to take advantage of the unique characteristics of each lens. You can clearly see the change in image quality when narrowing the aperture from maximum aperture. Compared to its successor, the E-PL5, it has about 4 megapixels less, but this likely won’t make a difference when using it on the web or for printing large prints.
In addition to autofocus lenses, I also tried using a manual-focus Leica M lens with a mount adapter. However, it was difficult to determine the focus point on the 460,000-dot rear LCD screen, and it was a bit of a hassle to have to enlarge the image to see the focus.
Given this camera’s positioning, it’s best to use it with autofocus, not manual focus.
One thing that bothered me while shooting was that the camera is equipped with in-body image stabilization, which was not available on the E-PL1. However, it was disappointing that I rarely felt the benefits of this function in low-light scenes, as I was using the OLYMPUS M.ZUIKO D 17mm F2.8, which has a narrow F-number and is where I wanted to take advantage of the image stabilization.
The controls are equipped with a single dial, power switch, and shutter on the top of the camera, while exposure compensation and other shooting settings are controlled with a wheel on the back. Separate exposure compensation is convenient, but the reduction in dials due to the compact body makes sense.
As an older camera, the lack of an electronic shutter is one drawback. The E-PL2’s mechanical shutter is quite noisy, making it unsuitable for quiet shooting.
The electronic shutter was only available with the successor, the E-PL9, which added an electronic shutter function as a silent shooting feature.
The rear LCD screen is fixed, so an external EVF is required to shoot at any angle.
When I tried using the VF-2 external LCD viewfinder, I found it cumbersome to press the VF-2’s display switch button to display the image on the VF-2.
The latest electronic viewfinder, the VF-4, is equipped with an eye sensor, but unfortunately the E-PL2 does not support this sensor.
| VF-2 | VF-3 | VF-4 | |
| Display Pixels | 1.44 million dots | 0.92 million dots | 2.36 million dots |
| Field of view | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Finder magnification (when using M4/3) | 1.15 | 1 | 1.48 |
| Viewfinder magnification (35mm equivalent) | 0.575 | 0.5 | 0.74 |
| Eye Point(mm) | 18 | 17.4 | 21 |
| Diopter adjustment range(m-1)（dpt） | -3～+1 | -3～+1 | – 4～+ 2 |
| Eye Sensor | No | No | Yes |
| Weight (g) | 32 | 28 | 41.8 |
| Size (width x height x depth mm) | 29.4×48.5×46.3 | 25.4×44.1×48.3 | 30.4×48.2×47.8 |
| Tilt Mechanism | Upward angle up to 90 degrees | Upward angle up to 90 degrees | Upward angle up to 90 degrees |
| Shoe lock function | No | No | Yes |
| release date | December 2009 | September 2011 | June 2013 |
・The diopter adjustment range is measured in m-1 (dpt) and is expressed in diopters, which represent the refractive index of the lens.
・The VF-4 eye sensor is compatible with the E-P5, E-PL8, E-PL7, and E-PL6.
3．Summary
To sum up the Olympus PEN Lite E-PL2, it is the second-generation camera in Olympus’ low-end E-PL series. Its basic system is based on the E-PL1, released in 2010, with the only change being the addition of in-body image stabilization.
Apart from the pixel count, the E-PL2 is the most complete camera in the E-PL series, and its successors have made minor changes, with the E-PL3, E-PL5, E-PL7, E-PL9, and E-PL10 being the successors.
Again, the only major changes are limited to minor improvements such as the LCD display mechanism, an increase in pixel count to 16.05 megapixels, and the addition of an electronic shutter.
Specifications, considerations, etc.
Olympus’ (OM-SYSTEM) budget mirrorless camera series includes the E-PL1, E-PL2, and E-PL3, all with 12.3 megapixels. There’s no E-PL4 model, and the E-PL5, E-PL6, E-PL7, E-PL8, E-PL9, and the latest E-PL10 all have 16.5 megapixels. The lack of pixel count increases from the E-PL5 likely reflects the fact that high-end Micro Four Thirds cameras are capped at 20 megapixels.
While it’s been noted that the image sensor changed between the E-PL5 and E-PL7 and later, the pixel count remains the same, making it difficult to tell the difference between the results when comparing images taken with the same lens.
The E-PL9 and E-PL10 eliminate the connector for an electronic viewfinder (EVF), further reducing the camera’s cost. However, considering how many photographers actually use EVFs on cameras in this class, it’s unlikely that many do, so the change is a reasonable decision.
| Items | E-PL1 | E-PL2 | E-PL5 |
| Camera effective pixels | 12.3 megapixels | 12.3 megapixels | 16.05 megapixels |
| Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds Mount | Micro Four Thirds Mount | Micro Four Thirds Mount |
| Image sensor | 4/3-type Live MOS sensor | 4/3-type Live MOS sensor | 4/3-type Live MOS sensor, total pixel count 17.2 million pixels |
| Electric Shutter | none | none | none |
| Image Stabilization | none | Built-in (image sensor shift type image stabilization) Angular stabilization (XY axis) | Built-in (image sensor shift type image stabilization) Angular stabilization (XY axis) |
| EVF | EVF-2/EVF-3/EVF-4 | EVF-2/EVF-3/EVF-4 | EVF-2/EVF-3/EVF-4 |
| Back LCD | 3.0-inch movable LCD* approx. 230,000 dots (16:9), capacitive touch panel | 3.0-inch movable LCD* approx. 460,000 dots (16:9), capacitive touch panel | 3.0-inch movable LCD* approx. 460,000 dots (16:9), capacitive touch panel |
| Include flash | none | none | none |
| Battery | BLS-50 Compatible battery (Ads by amazon) | BLS-50 Compatible battery (Ads by amazon) | BLS-50 Compatible battery (Ads by amazon) |
| Size W x H x D(mm) | 114.6 × 72.2 × 41.5 | 115.4 × 72.7 × 42.0 | 110.5 × 63.7 × 38.2 |
| Weight(g body only) | 約296g（本体のみ） | 約317g（本体のみ） | 279g |
| Body color | White, black, champagne gold | White, black, red, champagne gold | White, black, silver |
| Release date | 10年3月 | 2011.1.12 | 2012.10.12 |
| Price(Yen/No-tax/only body) | Open | Open | ¥90,000 |
Options
Reference links
- E-PL2 ・Olympus official page
- E-PL1・Olympus official page
- E-PL5 ・Olympus official page
- Diopter (dpt)
- Accessory Specifications and Compatibility Chart (OM l OM-D / PEN series) > Viewfinder
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Affiliate links
- OLYMPUS E-PLシリーズ・Ads by Amazon
- OLYMPUS E-PLシリーズ・Ads by Rakuten
Update history
- 2026.1.13
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