Olympus E-P1 Reviews
Simon Joinson has the following conclusion on the JPG photo output quality from both cameras:
The 500D's JPEG output is a lot closer to the EP-1's, but even here the little Olympus has the edge when it comes to pixel-level sharpness – despite the Canon's higher nominal resolution. There's really not a lot in it though, and in a print you'd be unlikely to see any difference in detail at all. The 500D's color and contrast is a little more muted, and again it's handling the roll-off of highlights a little more gently (and again, the difference would be less at ISO 200), but as both cameras offer extensive control over image parameters this is really only relevant to those who never change a single camera setting.
Lenses used were the Olympus 50mm f/2.0 Telephoto Macro ED on the E-P1, and Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard / Medium Telephoto on the T1i / 500D / Kiss X3.
Simon Joinson has the following conclusion on the JPG photo output quality from both cameras:
It's clear to see that Olympus – as usual – is doing a great job with its out of camera JPEGs, and at a pixel level the E-P1 produces, sharper, crisper output than the Nikon, and the punchier default contrast, sharpening and saturation mean that the results are more immediately appealing. You're not going to see a huge difference at normal magnifications (and turning up the Nikon's rather conservative sharpening evens things out a little), but there's no denying that the little Olympus is giving the D5000 a good run for its money (though again the rather harsh highlight roll-off produces slightly clipped tones at ISO 100).
Lenses used were the Olympus 50mm f/2.0 Telephoto Macro ED on the E-P1, and Nikon 50mm f/1.4G AF-S Nikkor on the D5000.
Simon Joinson has the following conclusion on the JPG photo output quality from both cameras:
Not surprisingly given the family ties (and the fact it's the same lens), the output is very, very similar, with color, contrast and saturation almost identical. Look a bit closer and you can see – even in a JPEG – that there are some differences. The most obvious is the EP-1's visibly better pixel-level sharpness (thanks to a lighter anti-alias / low pass filter), though we also noticed that the highlight roll-off is a little harsher than the E-620 (something confirmed in our dynamic range testing) – it's better at ISO 200, but still not as good as the E-620. Overall though, it's great to see that Olympus hasn't just delivered on its promise to match SLR quality – it's actually surpassed it.
The lens used on both cameras was the Olympus 50mm f/2.0 Telephoto Macro ED.
PJ Jacobowitz's review of the Olympus PEN E-P1 has the following verdict on its image quality:
Images produced by the E-P1's 12.3 megapixel sensor are spectacular. In PCMag Labs, I use a testing suite called Imatest, which offers objective tests that gauge image quality. The results showed that the images produced by the E-P1 are extraordinarily sharp, competitive with or even better than most SLR's in its price range. Noise was undetectable at ISO 100-1600, which is also better than more expensive cameras.
First Olympus PEN E-P1 30 Minute Exposure Test at Imaging Insider – The full-resolution JPEG and RAW files are available for download.
Exposure Information (EXIF Info after the Jump)
Olympus E-P1
14-42mm lens
Olympus RM-UC1 Remote Cable
100 ISO / f5.6 / Exposure 30 minutes + 30 minutes Dark Subtraction = 60 minutes total (30 minutes is the longest exposure allowed in Bulb setting.)
Manual Settings / Manual Focus
Tripod Mounted
Approximately 11:30 pm / July 22, 2009
Existing available light spilling from sodium vapor lights, moonlight, and some incandescent spillage from neighboring houses.[...]
Also, there was interest in how much image noise and heat would be generated would be present/generated in an extremely long exposure. Now, this is an ongoing Insider process where more long exposures will be taken in the coming weeks.
Olympus Pen E-P1 Review at TrustedReviews – Cliff Smith concludes:
The Olympus E-P1 is an interesting and innovative camera, and as a first model in what will probably be a series it has some very nice features. Build quality and finish are of an exceptionally high standard, and image quality and performance are safely superior to the vast majority of compact cameras. However the enormous cost compared to a good DSLR, and the lack of either a viewfinder or built-in flash will put many people off.
Cliff gave the E-P1 an overall rating score of 7/10.
The review also comes with several 14-42mm sample images, some can be clicked on to see the full-resolution version Test Shots – ISO Performance, Test Photos – Details and Lens Performance and Exposure Evaluation Pictures.
Olympus Pen E-P1 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1: High ISO Image Noise Performance – Cliff Smith:
I was expecting the E-P1 to show similar high-ISO noise results as the Panasonic G1, but unfortunately this is not the case. While the G1 doesn’t start showing any noise until 800 ISO, the E-P1 has visible colour mottling and noise in the darker tones at its default auto setting of 200 ISO, getting progressively worse, although overall colour reproduction remains reasonably good right up to 3200 ISO. JPEG images also show some over-sharpening, but at least the compression rate is nice and low, with fine JPEG mode producing files of around 5.5MB and Raw files of around 12MB.
Olympus Pen E-P1 digital camera review at Pocket Lint – Doug Harman:
Metering is superb although the best overall option seems to be the centre-weighted mode as evaluative metering seems to underexpose very slightly, presumably to help preserve highlight detail. Spot metering is great for portraits where even some of my shots of the misses taken against strong backlighting are correctly exposed to the face and flattering to boot (even if I do say so myself).
[...]
True this camera will be neither fish nor fowl to some, who may not be able to see the point. However, others that may hanker for that “days of yore” feeling, evoked by the styling, design and handling will not be disappointed. As for me? Well, I was won over by the image quality and that at the end of the day is probably the single most important factor and so makes this a camera one I cannot help but recommend.
Doug gave the PEN E-P1 an overall rating score of 9/10.
Why the manual focus process is better on the Olympus E-P1 than on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 – Brian Mosley:
Apart from the way you hold the camera, the main difference is the fact that the G1 cancels your MF assist zoom view the moment you half depress the shutter release button. We asked for this to be improved several months ago – with specific suggestions accepted as feedback by Panasonic – still waiting for an upgrade via firmware.
So, in summary, I personally find the E-P1 much easier in practical terms to shoot a lengthy series of manually focused shots… but the G1 could be improved any time now with a firmware fix (hopefully!).