Performance
Sample
photos
Drive
iDynamic Off | 1/400 sec | f/7.1 | 14.0 mm | ISO 160
iDynamic
Standard | 1/500 sec | f/7.1 | 14.0 mm | ISO 160
Drive
HDR (Multi Shot) | 1/400 sec | f/7.1 | 14.0 mm | ISO 160
Thoresby
Hall | 1/320 sec | f/9.0 | 20.0 mm | ISO 160
Audi
S Line | 1/800 sec | f/6.3 | 150.0 mm | ISO 200
Light
| 1/100 sec | f/3.5 | 14.0 mm | ISO 160
The camera’s exposure is reliable, and if
you wish to extend the dynamic range, all you need is use the iDynamic or HDR
options, as showed above. The photos carry good level of details, and there is
no trace of red-eye effect when capturing portraits with flash light.
Lens
testing images
Wide
| 1/500 sec | f/8.0 | 14.0 mm | ISO 160
Zoom
1/400 sec | f/10.0 | 42.0 mm | ISO 160
Trees
| 1/160 sec | f/5.0 | 14.0 mm | ISO 160
Macro
Watch | 1/80 sec | f/5.6 | 42.0 mm | ISO 200
The 14-42 f/3.5-5.6 does a very good job,
producing sharp and detailed shots, with the support of optical image
stabilization under low-light condition. This lens is one of the most modern
lenses in the Micro Four Thirds range, which is formed by many lenses from both
Panasonic and Olympus, as well as from third party like Sigma. This is one of
the largest ranges for the available lens for the mirror less camera line. Macro
performance is quite disappointing, and in order to have better performance in
this aspect, we would like to suggest another lens. The camera also automatically
adjusts the purple fringing and chromatic very well, so these effects are very
low. The exposure is reliable, and the camera is able to manage many different
situations. If you need a better dynamic range, the built-in HDR mode or
iDynamic option are available to help you, and deep petal shaped hood is also
provided to protect the lens from flare.
ISO
testing images
ISO
level varies from ISO 160 to ISO 12800
The ISO range starts with the level of ISO
160 and ends at ISO 12800, but can be extended to ISO 25600. The noise is very
low at ISO 160 and ISO 200. Some signs of Chroma noise show up at ISO 400 and
then come a slight decrease in details then ISO reaches 800, although the noise
is still low. At ISO 1600, the loss of details occurs again and become more
visible. At ISO 3200 and ISO 6400, the noise is quite strong, and when viewing
the image at its full size, it is recognizable that this picture loses details,
although these could be usable images when being resized. Images at ISO level
of 12800 is soft but may again provide acceptable images if resized. The level
of 25600 shows the highest level of noise, the least number of details, with
significant color loss, so it is better to stay away from this setting.
White
balance testing images
e
AWB
Tung | 1/10 sec | f/5.6 | 22.0 mm | ISO 160
Tungsten
Preset | 1/10 sec | f/5.6 | 22.0 mm | ISO 160
AWB
Fluorescent | 0.3 sec | f/5.6 | 22.0 mm | ISO 160
Under the tungsten light, the Auto White
Balance (AWB) performs very well, producing warm photos, but if you choose the
preset tungsten mode, the result would be more accurate. AWB also does a good
job under the fluorescent light, and the fluorescent mode is not provided. In
order to have more accurate results, you could use the available manual white
balance settings.
Panorama
mode
Panoramic
| 1/320 sec | f/8.0 | 14.0 mm | ISO 160
The pictures are stitched together
automatically by the panorama mode when the camera is swept from this angle to
the other. You can also choose 15 filter effects, one effect, name “impressive
art”, has been taken as an example.
Impressive
Art Panoramic | 1/500 sec | f/11.0 | 14.0 mm | ISO 160
Digital filters
Images
in different filters
There are 19 digital filters, each of which
has one example shown above. Some is adjustable. The new “sunshine” mode allows
you to set the position and size of the light, as well as giving you different
color choices for the effect. The camera also provides a great number of photo
styles, where you can freely edit your photos by adjusting the contrast,
sharpness, saturation and noise reduction.
Just like AVCHD or MP4, this product
records video at full HD and offers many options including manual controls, ISO
160-3200, microphone adjustments, silent operation (meaning using the touch
screen), and wind cut. Those who enjoy time lapse videos can do their favorite
job with the stop motion animation.
