At least in US Olympus is playing a very aggressive pricing against the immediate competition. The Olympus E-PL2 just dropped by $40-50 on Amazon (Click here). The price now is $549 ($560 for the black model). That’s $150 less than the price of the Panasonic GF2 (Click here) and Sony NEX-5 (Click here). There is only one compact mirrorless camera that costs less, the Samsung NX100 (Click here). But for some reasons you might can explain it is not selling well. It has to be seen if Panasonic and Sony will “react” and lower the price too. In Europe the price difference between those cameras is very minimal. They all cost around 500 Euro.
Check price differences for yourself:
Olympus E-PL2 at [shopcountry 18844].
Panasonic GF2 at [shopcountry 17361].
Sony NEX-5 at [shopcountry 20638].
Samsung NX100 at [shopcountry 20762].
P.S.: I didn’t mention the NEX-3 because it has been discontinued at (Check [shopcountry 21021]).
13 Responses
A good deal even considering the red dot issue. The more I use this camera the more I enjoy it.
Yeah, those red dots really hurt Leica ;-).
What is this “red dot issue” you’re talking about?
There’s a ‘red dot’ pattern that appears kind of like a flare when shooting with the E-PL2 into bright light sources. It mostly appears at f8-f22. Many cameras show it to some degree, but the E-PL2 is particularly bad. I believe it is caused by internal reflections and the placement of the infrared filter. Google it or read DPReview forums; it’s not hard to find someone complaining or trolling about it.
Cool, thanks for your explanation! 🙂
I love the red dots and I especially love my EPL2! Can’t wait for olympus to come out with some really nice prime glass.
Netherlands
GF2 + 14 : €575 to €649
GF2 + 14-42 : €525 to €599
E-PL2 + 14-50 : €509 to €599
NEX-5 + 18-55 : €444 to €649
NX100 + 20-50 : €368 to €599
NX100 + 20-50 looks like a great deal.
Good deal on a new camera indeed. I got mine for $65 off ($535+tax) at NCIX, which they it for $60 off now: http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=59353&manufacture=OLYMPUS%20IMAGE%20SYSTEMS&promoid=1280
Any idea if it will be available with the 17mm pancake ?
Incorrect info – GF2 with zoom kit lens is only $599 not $699 stated.
I got a E-PL1 + 14-42 one month ago for 325€, and I’m very happy with it.
Admin,
You forgot to mention one other mirrorless system camera that sells for less than the E-PL2: the E-PL1.
At Amazon.com, the E-PL1 with 14-42 goes for $428, while the E-PL2, even with the “rebate” goes for $550. Other than the MSC lens that comes with the E-PL2, is there really any reason to spend $120 to get the exact same image quality?
But more importantly, here in the USA, DSLR’s still rule the roost. You can get a brand new Nikon D3100 with 18-55 lens for $560 to $580. The D3100 is only slightly larger than a Pen, but is a far more capable camera overall.
With Olympus having to go up against entry level DSLR’s in terms of price, it’s a wonder they sell any Pens at all.