Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1

Noise Reduction (5.60)

It’s worth noting that while higher levels of noise reduction did cut down on the details in photos we shot at ISO 1600 (see the Sample Photos section), the effect was not dramatic, and the trade-off between boosting noise reduction and losing a bit of fine line is worth making in most cases.

Image noise starts out fairly high, even at ISO 100 There’s no major jump through ISO 400,though, which means the most frequently used ISO settings don’t suffer from major noise problems. Trying to eke out a shot at ISO 3200 is not recommended, though we did pull off a nice handheld shot at ISO 1600 in a dark train station (see the Sample Photos section). More on how we test noise.

We expect image noise to be higher on a Micro Four Thirds or Four Thirds format camera, since they share a smaller sensor size than the typical digital SLR, and this held true for the GH1, though we found noise much better controlled than in the two Olympus Four Thirds-format SLRS we tested recently (the E-30 and E-620). We test noise by shooting a brightly illuminated X-Rite ColorChecker chart at all ISO settings and each level of noise reduction provided. Ordinarily we turn noise reduction off entirely for one set of photos, since this is the mode that has the least impact on fine detail, but the GH1 has no Off setting. Instead we shot in Standard film mode and set the noise reduction to each available option, which range from -2 (the lowest level of noise reduction permitted) through +2, the highest. The default setting is 0.

Here again, we have the caveat that the Panasonic did not allow us to turn noise reduction off entirely, as we did with the other cameras in our comparison group. Still, it’s clear that the two smaller-sensor cameras were consistently noisier than the more traditional Canon and Nikon designs.

With noise reduction cranked up to the maximum, the GH1 stays roughly even with the pack until ISO 800. Beyond that point, the image noise speckles start winning the battle, though again we see usable images at ISO 1600. The graph below shows the comparative scores for this section, with the Panasonic and Olympus cameras at a decided disadvantage.

ISO Options

The Lumix GH1 offers an ISO range from 100-3200, along with two different auto ISO systems. Standard Auto ISO adjusts based strictly on brightness, while Intelligent ISO takes the movement of the subject into account as well (since higher ISOs enable higher shutter speeds). There is an option to limit the maximum ISO available to the auto systems.

ISO Comparisons
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Olympus E-30
ISO Low
ISO 100	ISO 100	ISO 200	ISO 200	ISO 100
ISO 100	ISO 100	ISO 200	ISO 200	ISO 100
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Olympus E-30
ISO 200
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Olympus E-30
ISO 400
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Olympus E-30
ISO 800
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Olympus E-30
ISO 1600
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Olympus E-30
ISO 3200
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Olympus E-30
ISO 6400
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Olympus E-30
ISO 12800
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1	Canon EOS Rebel T1i	Nikon D5000	Nikon D90	Olympus E-30

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.