Olympus E-P1

	Canon Rebel T1i Comparison Summary
The Canon Rebel T1i is notably lightweight for an SLR, but still can't match the Olympus E-P1 for portability, especially with the collapsible 14-42 zoom lens attached. The Canon has a superior LCD and a much wider range of available lenses. In our performance testing the T1i came up short in sharpness, a key image quality measure where the Olympus scored well, though the Canon had much lower image noise than the Olympus. As for shooting video, the Canon officially manages 1080p where the Olympus maxes out at the lower-resolution 720p standard, but given the slow 20 frame per second rate of Canon's 1080p mode, it's not a huge selling point.
	Video Features	Page 16 of 21	Nikon D5000 Comparison

	Comparison Specifications
	Olympus E-P1	Canon Rebel T1i
Price	$799.99 w/14-42mm lens	$899.99 (w/ 18-55mm IS lens)
Dimensions	4.74 in/120.6mm (W) x 2.75 in/69.9mm (H) x 1.37 in/36.4mm (D) 11.8 oz./335g	5.1 x 3.9 x 3.1 in/129.1 x 98.9 x 77.9mm 16.9 oz/ 480g
Resolution	12.3 megapixels	15.1-megapixels
Processor	TruePic V	DIGIC 4
Sensor size/type	17.3mm x 13.0mm Live MOS	22.3mm x 14.9mm (APS-C size)
Kit Lens	14-42mm f/3.5-5.6	18-55mm IS
Viewfinder	none	Eye-level pentamirror, 95% field of view, 0.87x magnification
LCD	230,000-dot 3-inch LCD	920,000-dot, 3 inch LCD
Live View	Manual focus Autofocus: Imager contrast detection AF, Face Detection	Autofocus (One-Shot AF): Live mode, Face Detection Live mode, Quick mode; Manual focus (5x or 10x manually)
Shutter Speed	1/4000 sec, to 60 sec., bulb up to 30 minutes	1/4000 sec. to 30 sec., bulb
Burst Speed	3 frames per second	Max. 3.4 shots/sec
Autofocus	Contrast AF	9 AF points (center AF point is cross-type)
Exposure Compensation	±3 EV in 1/3, 1/2, 1 EV steps	±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments
Noise Reduction	High ISO (three levels), Long Exposure	High ISO (three levels), Long Exposure
ISO range	ISO 100-6400 in 1/3 or 1 EV	ISO 100-3200 (12,800 extended) in 1 stop increments
Flash	none	Retractable, auto pop-up, E-TTL II flash
Media Format	Still: JPEG, RAW Video: MJPEG	Still: JPEG, RAW, RAW+JPEG Video: MOV
Movie Mode	Yes, maximum resolution 720p @30fps	Yes, maximum resolution 1920 x 1080 @20 fps
Media Type	SD/SDHC	SD, SDHC (class 6 or faster required for video)
Connections	Proprietary USB/AV, mini HDMI	USB, Video out, mini HDMI out
Other Hardware	No	No

	Video: Comparison Scores
	Olympus E-P1	Canon Rebel T1i
Video: Color & Noise	15.59	20.76
Video: Motion & Sharpness	17.22	19.10
Video: Low Light Performance	14.11	18.90
Video Features	19.00	13.65
Exclusive - Video testing on the Olympus E-P1 is provided by CamcorderInfo.com, the world leader in camcorder and video reviewing.

Performance
The key considerations here are resolution, where the Canon T1i scored very poorly and the Olympus E-P1 impressed, and image noise, where the Olympus had problems and the Canon, while not outstanding, was perfectly respectable. Both cameras deliver highly accurate color reproduction. The T1i offers a slightly faster burst rate (though it's still no speed demon) and a wider dynamic range (but again is not at the top of the SLR heap). There is a speed difference when it comes to autofocus though: while Live View autofocus performance is a bit faster for the E-P1, shooting with the viewfinder on the T1i keeps up with moving subjects neither Live View system can manage.

Components
The T1i has a beautiful 3-inch 920,000-dot LCD plus an optical viewfinder, where you have to rely on the lower-res 230,000-dot Olympus LCD for all your photo composition needs -- it does work better in the sunlight than most LCDs, but it's still a limitation, both in the way you see the scene and the way you steady the camera when shooting.  Access to the wide range of Canon lenses is another major consideration, compared to the very limited (though admittedly growing) range of Micro Four Thirds lenses on the market. And like most consumer cameras, the Canon T1i has the built-in flash that Olympus omitted from the E-P1.

Handling
The Olympus E-P1 holds a substantial edge here. Canon's Rebel cameras tend to feel overly light and insubstantially built, where Olympus delivers a winning combination of solid metal construction, a compact but not puny body and a well-designed grip that's easy to hold securely and maneuver freely.

Controls
The fact that the Canon offers 15 megapixel resolution versus the 12.3-megapixel Olympus is potentially misleading: the Olympus takes much sharper pictures. The extended ISO range of the Canon does go to 12,800 versus 6400 for the Olympus, and that ISO 6400 setting is pretty near unsable. The Canon menu system is slightly preferable, but both cameras put key controls within easy reach, and the fact that the Olympus offers two control dials versus the single dial on the Canon will be particularly welcome to manual-exposure shooters. The E-P1 also offers a much wider array of scene modes, plus Art Filters and in-camera multiple exposures, along with an innovative on-screen level gauge that displays tilt both side-to-side and front-to-back.

	ISO Examples
	Olympus E-P1	Canon Rebel T1i
ISO 100
	Olympus E-P1	Canon Rebel T1i
ISO 200
	Olympus E-P1	Canon Rebel T1i
ISO 400
	Olympus E-P1	Canon Rebel T1i
ISO 800
	Olympus E-P1	Canon Rebel T1i
ISO 1600
	Olympus E-P1	Canon Rebel T1i
ISO 3200
	Olympus E-P1	Canon Rebel T1i
ISO 6400
	Olympus E-P1	Canon Rebel T1i
ISO 12800

NOTE: The images above are not used in our testing or scoring, but are included here to show real-world examples of the differences between cameras at the various ISO settings.