Olympus PEN E-PL1

Motion (6.75)

The E-PL1 records all video using a 30p frame rate, which is the same frame rate that is used on the Olympus E-P1 and numerous other video-capable DSLRs. In addition to its 1280 × 720 record mode, the camera also has a standard definition setting that captures video at a 640 × 480 resolution. More on how CamcorderInfo tests motion.

The E-PL1 produced fairly smooth video in our motion test, but the camera’s image had more artifacting than what we saw from the Olympus E-P1. We also noticed quite a bit of blur and trailing on the RGB pinwheel in our motion video. Overall, we place the E-PL1 in the middle of the pack when it comes to motion performance.

The E-P1’s motion video had less artifacting and trailing than the video produced by the E-PL1. Overall, however, the two cameras rendered motion quite similarly. The two cameras also have the same record settings for capturing HD video (1280 × 720 resolution with a 30p frame rate).

The Nikon D5000, which is the only true DSLR in this set, didn’t do very well with our motion test. Its video was juddery, had lots of artifacting, and made straight lines look jagged. The D5000 also had a rolling shutter issue that produced a wobble effect whenever we panned back and forth with the camera (we see this on most video-capable DSLRs). The D5000 is the only model in this group that records using a 24p frame rate as opposed to 30p.

The Samsung NX10 didn’t have major problems with artifacting, but its motion video had quite a bit of trailing and blur. The camera also didn’t capture very smooth motion in our test. Strangely, the NX10 also had a rolling shutter problem like we saw from the Nikon D5000. Usually we don’t see any rolling shutter issues with mirrorless cameras like the NX10, but there was definitely significant wobble when we panned with the camera.

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Video Sharpness (8.89)

The E-PL1 measured a horizontal sharpness of 575 lw/ph in our video testing. The camera’s vertical sharpness also came out to 575 lw/ph in this test. These scores are average for a camera that records 720p video (as opposed to being able to capture a Full HD image — 1920 × 1080). Still, we were disappointed to see the E-PL1 come in with a slightly lower sharpness score than last year’s E-P1. More on how CamcorderInfo tests video sharpness.

Low Light Sensitivity (0.55)

In our low light sensitivity test, the E-PL1 required 26 lux of light to reach 50 IRE on the waveform monitor. This is more light than was needed by the other cameras we compared the E-PL1 to — including last year’s E-P1.

Low light sensitivity does have a lot to do with what kind of lens you are shooting with, so if you attach a faster lens to the E-PL1 you can probably improve the camera’s low light performance significantly. The kit lens we did our testing with was not very fast, with its widest aperture setting being f/3.5. Most consumer camcorders have aperture values of around f/1.8 at their widest setting. This lets more light into the lens, thus resulting in better low light performance.