New Olympus EP-L2

We got a shipment of the new Olympus EP-L2 cameras in, charged up the battery, and took some test shots. It's a good thing we got them when we did-- our Philly locations are all closed because of their foul weather, while up here in Buffalo we're basking in our sunny 29-degree weather. (Isn't it funny how in the depths of January 32 degrees seems so eerily warm?)

Here's a pair of test shots. The subject is a pointsettia plant gifted to the Transit Rd store for the 2009 season, which has survived over a full year and is, somewhat tardily, slowly starting to bloom again. (Did you know those things were perennials? I did! I've been feeding it coffee. Yes really. If it dies, we have nothing to take pictures of.)
Both shot in JPG, high quality, on the P setting. (By my lovely and talented associate Sarah.)
EP-L1:


Compared with the EP-L2:


The EP-L2 is redesigned, with a moderately smaller body and a significantly smaller lens. It's still a kit 14-40, but it's much smaller and smoother in operation. It focuses faster, too.
Sarah preferred the EP-L1 still; its in-camera image processing gives a sharper, more vividly-colored image, while the 2 yielded a softer, brighter picture in identical settings. But we haven't tried out the video or subjected it to any kind of rigorous testing yet, so the jury's still out. (We can't video a pointsettia plant. It's really not very interesting. The only thing interesting about Transit Rd. is the traffic, and we're not going to go play in traffic for your amusement!)

The best thing to do is to come down to one of our Buffalo stores, which are open because we have nice weather, and check it out for yourself!

Winter Blues

Chase away the winter blues with a little continuing education! We have new class schedules posted on the website-- remember, we've got separate schedules for the Transit and Delaware locations, so you don't get confused and show up at the wrong time.
We've also begun offering classes in our Pennsylvania locations, for those loyal Jack's Cameras customers!
We're continuing the basic classes, one each for compact and DSLR cameras, and offering those about once weekly. But we're expanding the advanced offerings. There's one on Understanding Lenses, which gives DSLR users really practical insights into which of the bewildering array of available lenses is most likely to meet their needs. There's one on Amateur Sports, which are a popular genre of photography and one of the most challenging you can take up. And there's one called "You've Got Your Pictures, Now What?" that deals with the perennial question of what on earth to do once you've mastered the use of your camera.

Here in Buffalo we're dealing with the perfectly normal weather one expects this kind of year. Thing is, after the holidays, we're all pretty ready for the winter to be over! February is always the longest month, despite having fewer days than most. One thing we did at both Buffalo stores was the "Two Minute Challenge," where each employee was handed the same camera and given two minutes to go outside and take the best picture they could. We haven't judged it yet, but that'll be a fun pastime-- see how different everyone's take on our mundane surroundings is.
I think I got the best one-- tire tracks in the snow-- but Jeff managed to get an action shot of a squirrel, so... It's some proof that winter can be beautiful. We'll see how the voting goes! And I'll be sure to put the pics up here, or maybe on Facebook, when we're done.