| Section |
The Good |
The Bad |
 |
Product Tour |
Eye-catching retro design; compact size; metal body |
Lacks pop-up flash and viewfinder |
 |
Color |
Exceptional color accuracy |
Long exposure results mediocre |
 |
Noise |
Auto ISO allows range limitation |
Disappointing image noise performance |
 |
Resolution |
Very good sharpness; low distortion with kit lens |
Narrow dynamic range |
 |
White Balance |
Scored very well, particularly in auto white balance |
Setting manual white balance requires monopolizing single programmable function button |
 |
Playback |
Variety of playback mode views; well designed video playback capability |
Limited in-camera editing |
 |
Hardware |
Collapsible kit lens enhances portability; LCD stands up to bright light |
Limited lens selection; no viewfinder or flash |
 |
Controls |
Nice selection of Live View display options; two control dials; innovative level gauge display |
Slow autofocus |
 |
Design & Handling |
Very comfortable to maneuver; well organized Live View on-screen menus |
Mediocre manual with poor index |
| |
| |
| Video Section |
The Good |
The Bad |
 |
Video: Color & Noise |
Lots of color control options |
Bad color accuracy in auto mode; noise levels higher than the competition |
|
Video: Motion & Sharpness |
Good sharpness for a 720p camera; rendered motion is smooth |
No Full HD record mode; significant artifacting in our motion test |
|
Video: Low Light Performance |
No Full HD record mode; significant artifacting in our motion test |
High noise levels |
|
Video Features |
Manual aperture control; compact, light body |
Shutter speed and ISO cannot be set manually; No viewfinder or rotatable LCD |
| |
 |
The Olympus E-P1 is a kick-ass modern camera in retro-design disguise, with a compact size that finally delivers on the "micro" part of the Micro Four Thirds promise.