Olympus E-P1

	White Balance Summary
• Excellent automatic white balance results, especially under daylight and fluorescent light • Custom white balance performance adequate • Must assign programmable function button to white balance to take a custom reading • Seeing color temperature changes on screen during adjustment very helpful • Presets include three fluorescent settings
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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. Click here for more on how we test white balance.

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.

Auto White Balance

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.

Auto Daylight White Balance Performance Comparison

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.

Auto Incandescent White Balance Performance Comparison

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.

Auto Fluorescent White Balance Performance Comparison

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.

Olympus E-P1 Custom White Balance

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 here. And overall, it stands up well to the competition.

White Balance Score Comparison

White Balance Settings (10.50)

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.

White Balance Types
Display	Mode	Color Temperature
	Auto	2000K-14000K
	Daylight	5300K
	Shade	7500K
	Cloudy	6000K
	Incandescent	3000K
	White Fluorescent	4000K
	Neutral White Fluorescent	4500K
	Daylight Fluorescent	6000K
	Flash	5500K
	Manual	2000-140000K
	Degrees Kelvin	2000-140000K

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.

The Live View image reflects changes as you
dial in a white balance setting.

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.

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Olympus E-P1 Digital Camera Review Navigation
Intro	Product Tour	Color	Noise
Resolution	White Balance	Sample Photos	Playback
Hardware	Controls	Design & Handling	Video Color & Noise
Video Motion & Sharpness	Video Low Light	Video Features	Canon Rebel T1i Comp
Nikon D5000 Comparison	Olympus E620 Comp	Panasonic GH1 Comp	Conclusion
Specs & Ratings