Olympus PEN E-P1

Color (20.51)

The Olympus E-P1 delivered exceptional color accuracy in our testing, outscoring all of the other cameras in our comparison group by a significant margin. We test color accuracy by shooting the X-Rite ColorChecker chart under controlled studio lighting and analyzing the resulting photos using Imatest software. We determine which color mode produces the lowest color error, and use those results for scoring purposes; for the E-P1, as with other Olympus SLRs we’ve tested, the most accurate mode is Muted. More on how we test color.

When shooting in Muted mode, the images are just slightly undersaturated, at 97.11%, while Natural mode is slightly oversaturated at 102.50%, with more color shift in the blues and purples. Portrait mode raises saturation another small increment to 103.30%, with a minor boost to reds and some color shift in light blue. Vivid lives up to its name at 116.90% saturation, with significant color shifts in blues and reds, though not much effect on the other shades.

Camera Color Comparisons					Expand
	Ideal	Olympus PEN E-P1	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Nikon D5000	Olympus E-620	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Dark Skin
Light Skin
Blue Sky
Foliage
Blue Flower
Bluish Green
	Ideal	Olympus PEN E-P1	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Nikon D5000	Olympus E-620	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Orange
Purplish Blue
Moderate Red
Purple
Yellow Green
Orange Yellow
	Ideal	Olympus PEN E-P1	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Nikon D5000	Olympus E-620	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Blue
Green
Red
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan

NOTE: Because of the way computer monitors reproduce colors, the images above do not exactly match the originals found on the chart or in the captured images. The chart should be used to judge the relative color shift, not the absolute captured colors.

As shown in the comparison chart, the E-P1 improves on the color accuracy of its already excellent brand mate, the Olympus E-620, to lead the pack in this test.

Color Modes (4.00)

The E-P1 offers a limited selection of ‘film modes’: Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait and Monotone. In addition to their effect on color, image parameters including contrast, sharpness and saturation can be adjusted for each film mode. These options are explained fully in the Picture Effects section.

Color Mode Comparisons					Expand
	Ideal	Vivid	Natural	Muted	Portrait
Dark Skin
Light Skin
Blue Sky
Foliage
Blue Flower
Bluish Green
	Ideal	Vivid	Natural	Muted	Portrait
Orange
Purplish Blue
Moderate Red
Purple
Yellow Green
Orange Yellow
	Ideal	Vivid	Natural	Muted	Portrait
Blue
Green
Red
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan

NOTE: Because of the way computer monitors reproduce colors, the images above do not exactly match the originals found on the chart or in the captured images. The chart should be used to judge the relative color shift, not the absolute captured colors.

White Balance (10.53)

The E-P1 achieved a high score in this section thanks to the standout performance of its automatic white balance system, particularly under daylight and fluorescent lighting, The custom white balance reading accuracy was good, but not exceptional.

We test both the camera’s automatic and custom white balance systems by shooting the ColorChecker chart under the carefully controlled incandescent, fluorescent and daylight illumination provided by an X-Rite Judge II lightbox. The test photos are analyzed for color accuracy using Imatest, and the amount of color error from the known values of the chart patches determines the white balance results. More on how we test color.

Automatic White Balance (14.32)

Incandescent lighting (the type produced by standard tungsten household lightbulbs) always throws off automatic white balance systems, and the E-P1 was no exception. However, the results under fluorescent lights, which often produces greenish results, and daylight are exceptional.

Custom White Balance (6.74)

Taking a custom white balance reading eliminated the visible color shift under incandescent lighting, and produced good results overall. Our accuracy standards are very high for custom white balance, though, since we expect any interchangeable-lens camera to produce excellent results after taking a manual reading. Note that while shorter bars still indicate superior results in the chart below, the scale of the chart is different from those above because the error values are smaller.

The E-P1 delivered the most accurate results in our test group under daylight illumination, with photos just a shade warmer than the original chart values.

Under incandescent illumination the E-P1 was more accurate than all but the GH1, though none of the cameras tested was free from the warm orange hue we know so well from looking at indoor family snapshots.

Fluorescent light can throw an auto white balance system for a loop, as it did with the Olympus E-620, but colors in photos taken with the E-P1 under compact white fluorescents were nearly flawless.

The E-P1 received an adequate but unexceptional score for custom white balance, though it did far surpass the disappointing result from the other Olympus camera included in our comparison set. And overall, it stands up well to the competition.

White Balance Options (9.50)

The E-P1 offers eight white balance presets (including a welcome three choices for different fluorescent lighting types) plus auto, manual setting and direct color temperature entry in degrees Kelvin.

Taking a manual white balance reading is relative simple, but there’s a hitch. The camera has a single programmable function button which can be assigned to a variety of tasks, including such useful options as depth of field preview and choosing from My Mode camera settings. However, if you want to take a white balance reading, the Fn button has to be assigned to the task: you hold down Fn, point at a white or gray surface and press the shutter to take a reading. There’s no menu-based workaround to this boondoggle.

The option to set a white balance directly in degrees Kelvin usually seems like a pretty esoteric professional procedure, but with settings changes displayed interactively on the Live View display, it becomes practical even for the light-meter impaired. You do need some manual dexterity to enter the reading, though: you have to bring up the quick menu, select custom white balance, then hold the exposure compensation button on top of the camera while turning one of the control dials. Not an undertaking for the fumble-fingered.

Whether you arrive at an initial white balance setting by choosing a preset, taking a manual reading or choosing a numerical value, the results can be tweaked along the amber-blue and green-magenta axes, with 15 settings available for each. Unfortunately, the effects of these changes aren’t previewed live on-screen as you make them, which makes this capability much less useful than it could be. You can press the AEL/AFL button and take a test shot to preview the white balance result while adjusting the settings, but that’s time-consuming and cumbersome.

Another interesting white balance feature is the four-thumbnail display available in Live View, displaying small preview versions of the current subject with different white balance choices. You can select the thumbnail that looks best and press OK to confirm the setting.

Finally, white balance bracketing is provided, storing three images with different white balance settings with a single press of the shutter. The bracketing values for amber-blue and green-magenta values can be set separately, with 2-, 4- or 6-step increments.

Long Exposure (7.98)

We typically find cameras with smaller sensors score lower in our long exposure testing, since it takes into account both color accuracy and image noise, always an issue with Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds cameras. The E-P1 is no exception, with results that are in line with the Olympus E-620 and better than the Panasonic GH1, but below the standard set by the APS-C format Canon T1i and Nikon D5000.

Our long exposure test involves shooting the ColorChecker chart with low 20 lux illumination at five shutter speeds ranging from 1 second to 30 seconds, once with long exposure noise reduction turned off and once with it on. The test shots are analyzed using Imatest software for color accuracy and image noise. More on how we test long exposure.

Color error remains relatively low and consistent until we get to the 30 second exposure, with the noise reduction filter not affecting results in a significant way. As for noise levels, they start out high and skyrocket with noise reduction off at the 30 second mark, though at least the noise reduction system finally shows some effect at that point.

The E-P1 score here is nearly identical to the Olympus E-620, and notably higher than the Panasonic GH1, which suffered from huge color errors in this test.