Excellent color accuracy
Good resolution with the kit lens
Lackluster noise performance
No built-in viewfinder or flash
Introduction
Color accuracy was decent, but noise levels were high.
Comprehensive video testing and analysis by the staff of CamcorderInfo.com
Video: Low Light Sensitivity (1.67)
The low light sensitivity on the Olympus E-P1 wasn’t terrible, but its performance wasn’t anything special. The camera needed 20 lux of light to reach 50 IRE on our waveform monitor—a light level that is similar to what the Panasonic GH1 and Canon T1i required in the same test. The E-P1’s kit lens opens to a widest aperture setting of f/3.5, which isn’t very wide. Using a faster lens that allows for wider aperture settings would likely increase the camera’s low light sensitivity. This is one of the benefits of using a camera with an interchangeable lens system. More on how CamcorderInfo tests low light sensitivity.
The E-P1 records all video using a 30p frame rate, so we didn’t have any alternate rates to try out in this test. The Panasonic GH1 offers three frame rate options (1080/24p, 1080/30p, 720/60p) and the Canon T1i offers two (1080/20p, 720/30p). The table below shows the low light sensitivities of these other DSLR cameras when using their alternate frame rates.
Shop for the Olympus E-P1
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