Compared to...

Studio scene comparison (JPEG)

This is our standard studio scene comparison shot taken from exactly the same tripod position. Lighting: daylight simulation, >98% CRI. Crops are 100%. Ambient temperature was approximately 22°C (~72°F).

We now switch to our normal studio comparison using 50 mm prime lenses on each camera.

Panasonic DMC-L1 vs. Olympus E-330

Camera settings:

• Panasonic DMC-L1: Olympus ED 50 mm F2.0 Macro, Aperture Priority, ISO 100
  JPEG Large/Fine, Manual WB, Default Parameters, Self-Timer

• Olympus E-330: Olympus ED 50 mm F2.0 Macro, Aperture Priority,
  ISO 100, JPEG SHQ, Manual WB, Default Parameters (Vivid), Self-Timer

Panasonic DMC-L1	Olympus E-330
3,891 KB JPEG (3136 x 2352)	4,562 KB JPEG (3136 x 2352)

Same sensor, same lens, two obviously different results thanks to different approaches to image processing. On the left the DMC-L1 image looks softer with more conservative sharpening (and perhaps a less capable demosaic engine), in addition tone and color are both lower. On the right the E-330's image which in places looks superior from a detail point of view but in others looks slightly over-processed with some clipping and jagged artifacts visible on the paperclips crop.