The new Olympus E-P3

The new Olympus Pen E-P3 has just been announced. The design is quite similar to the E-P3, but it supposedly has some technical improvements. You can learn the details here.

But do you know what I really would like to see on a new Pen? Only three things:

•  Better ergonomics. It is virtually impossible to carry the camera in one hand without accidentally changing the position of the two back dials. I actually had to disable some of the functionalities of the round dial, in order to limit damages due to inadvertently switching settings. This did not change in the E-P3.
• A dedicated button to turn the histogram on and off in live view, in all viewing modes. Not available in the E-P3.
• The ability to zoom in the image right after taking a photo, using the top dial, in order to check for focus accuracy or image blur. This is absent in the E-P3.

Things I don't really need:

• Better high ISO image quality. It seems to be better on the E-P3, but I suspect it is still not great, unlike current mid-range DSLRs. Anyway, I don't need to go above ISO 1600 on most of my photos.
• A built-in viewfinder (electronic or optical). The external, tiltable,VF-2 electronic viewfinder is superb. OK, it looks ugly, but it does its job perfectly. The E-P3 has no built-in viewfinder and is compatible with the VF-2.
• Tiltable LCD screen. It is not present in the E-P3, but it is on the E-PL3. But I use only the VF-2 to compose. I've been taking photos through a viewfinder for more than 20 years. I'm not gonna start framing on a LCD screen now!

So I am going to wait for the "Pen Pro" that has been rumoured recently...

Canyon

Olympus E-P2 + Panasonic Lumix 14/2.5

Guard dog

Olympus E-P2 + Zeiss Sonnar 135/2.8

Ready, set,...

Olympus E-P2 + Zeiss Sonnar 135/2.8 + extension tube

Struggling

Olympus E-P2 + Zeiss Sonnar 135/2.8 + extension tube

Held by a thin thread

Olympus E-P2 + Zeiss Sonnar 135/2.8 + extension tube

Windy afternoon

I quite like this image.The way the cliff in the background is magnified by the long focal length and seems to overwhelm the couple in the beach creates a dramatic image. The real landscape was actually quite boring. But, now that think of it, reality is seldom as interesting as the images one makes from it.

Olympus E-P2 + Zeiss Sonnar 135/2.8

Drying sunflower

Olympus E-P2 + Zeiss Sonnar 135/2.8 + extension tube

The monastery

These images were taken at Tibães (Northwestern Portugal), in a former Benedictine monastery founded in the XIth century. The current edifications date from the XVII-XVIII centuries and were restored recently.

Olympus E-P2 + Panasonic Lumix 14/2.5

A bridge too far

Olympus E-P2 + Panasonic Lumix 14/2.5

(The bridge is on the lower right corner!)