Quality & Size Options

The E-P1 supports several variations for medium and small image size settings when shooting in the native 4:3 aspect ratio.

There are four JPEG compression settings: Super Fine (compressed at 1/2.7), Fine (1/4), Normal (1/8) and Basic (1/12). RAW files are recorded at full 4032 × 3024 resolution no matter what the aspect ratio setting, with the aspect ratio selection saved along with the image.

Dynamic Range (4.60)

As with the Olympus E-620, the E-P1 has problems with dynamic range, meaning you can expect to lose details in the very bright and very dark areas of high-contrast images. The E-P1 did perform significantly better than the E-620, but compared to the other cameras in our test group, these results are disappointing. More on how we test dynamic range.

The Panasonic GH1 results proves that a Micro Four Thirds camera can deliver acceptable dynamic range, but Olympus hasn’t gotten the hang of it yet, as the following score comparison illustrates.

Image Stabilization (6.84)

The in-camera image stabilization system, which relies on movement of the image sensor rather than the lens-based stabilization used by Nikon and Canon, effectively counteracted the blurriness caused by shaking hands in certain situations, particularly when there was a substantial amount of movement while shooting. We test image stabilization by mounting the camera in a computer-controlled rig that produces repeatable movement patterns, both horizontally and vertically, and shoot a sloped-edge test chart at all available shutter speeds with image stabilization on and with it off. We use Imatest to determine the resolution scores for our test images, then compare the IS on and IS off results. More on how we test image stabilization.

There are three available settings for the image stabilization system (in addition to Off, of course). I.S. 1 (used in our testing) attempts to compensate for shake both horizontally and vertically. I.S. 2 limits itself to vertical stabilization, so a horizontally panned shot will have a smooth blurred background. Similarly, I.S. 3 uses horizontal-only stabilization, to be used when panning vertically.

Even if you are shooting with a non-Micro Four Thirds or Four Thirds lens, you can still use the image stabilization system by manually entering the focal length of the lens you’re using.

At relatively low speeds, the system had a slight negative impact on sharpness at speeds above 1/60 second, when the camera was moving horizontally, but there’s a significant gain at 1/30 second, the speed where most of us start to have trouble holding the camera steady when shooting with available light indoors. When the camera was shaken vertically, the IS system had minimal effect.

Raising the level of shake meant a better result with image stabilization turned on across the board, when the camera was moving horizontally. Again, the system was far less effective counteracting vertical movement.

Image Stabilization Comparison Table			Expand
	Low Shake IS Off	Low Shake IS On	High Shake IS Off	High Shake IS On
1/500
1/250
1/125
1/60
1/30
1/15
1/8

The E-P1 scored well in our image stabilization testing, delivering more effective handheld shooting assistance than any of the other cameras in our comparison group.