Olympus PEN E-PL1

Noise Reduction (5.62)

We test for image noise by shooting a brightly lit X-Rite ColorChecker chart with high ISO noise reduction turned off, and at each available noise reduction level setting (in this case, low, standard and high). As seen in the chart, noise levels start out below 1% with noise reduction turned off (to preserve maximum fine detail levels), but results are barely usable by the time you hit ISO 800, and hopeless after that. Cranking up the noise reduction level has a substantial effect, but as seen in the sample high ISO images seen here, you pay a considerable price in lost detail at anything beyond the standard level. Considering the trade-off, your choice of setting will ultimately be guided by what you’re shooting (is there much detail to lose?), and how you’re planning to display the shot (a small image viewed on-screen can survive a lot more abuse than an 11×14′ print).

Occasionally one component of the total image noise will be notably higher than the others, making noise much more apparent to the eye. That’s not the case here: the red, green, blue, yellow and chroma (grey) noise levels are tightly grouped. More on how we test noise.

We expect to find problems with high image noise in Micro Four Thirds cameras, with their smaller sensor size leading to smaller photo receptors and more electrical crosstalk, and the E-PL1 followed the pattern. It did score a bit higher here than the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic GF1, though, a pleasing result from a less expensive model.

With noise reduction turned off to maximize image detail, the Olympus E-PL1 noise levels become problematic at ISO 800, and severe beyond that. The Nikon and Samsung cameras, with their larger APS-C sensors, delivered far superior results.

Raising the noise reduction level to the maximum reduced image noise system dramatically, particularly at low ISO settings. And looking at our sample images, we find acceptable loss of detail when shooting with noise reduction cranked up.

Overall, the E-PL1 delivered slightly lower image noise levels than the other Micro Four Thirds cameras, but if noise is a key concern for you, the true SLRs are far and away a better choice.

ISO Options

The ISO settings range from 100-3200. There is also an Auto ISO function, which will make the setting automatically based on lighting conditions. The user can set an upper limit to the auto ISO, and a default value.

We don’t see a lot of ISO bracketing around these parts, but it’s provided in the E-PL1. In a three-shot sequence, the ISO value is raised and lowered from the current setting by 0.3, 0.7 or 1.0 EV.

ISO Comparisons
Olympus PEN E-PL1	Olympus PEN E-P1	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1	Nikon D5000	Samsung NX10
ISO Low
ISO 100	ISO 100	ISO 100	ISO 200	ISO 100
ISO 100	ISO 100	ISO 100	ISO 200	ISO 100
Olympus PEN E-PL1	Olympus PEN E-P1	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1	Nikon D5000	Samsung NX10
ISO 200
Olympus PEN E-PL1	Olympus PEN E-P1	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1	Nikon D5000	Samsung NX10
ISO 400
Olympus PEN E-PL1	Olympus PEN E-P1	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1	Nikon D5000	Samsung NX10
ISO 800
Olympus PEN E-PL1	Olympus PEN E-P1	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1	Nikon D5000	Samsung NX10
ISO 1600
Olympus PEN E-PL1	Olympus PEN E-P1	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1	Nikon D5000	Samsung NX10
ISO 3200
Olympus PEN E-PL1	Olympus PEN E-P1	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1	Nikon D5000	Samsung NX10
ISO 6400
Olympus PEN E-PL1	Olympus PEN E-P1	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1	Nikon D5000	Samsung NX10

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.