Compared to...

Studio scene comparison (higher sensitivities)

The E-620 does a good job at ISO 800 and 1600, keeping up with the competition. The E-620's standard noise reduction is a little more aggressive than the other cameras, meaning that fine detail is being lost a little earlier than in rival cameras. However, the result is that there's less visible noise in the G1 and the loss of detail isn't problematic. Turning the noise filter down to 'Low' should produce results pretty much on a par with the best in class, up to ISO 1600. ISO 3200 isn't terribly pretty but it's no worse than you'd expect for anything smaller than a full-frame 24x36mm sensor.

ISO 800

Olympus E-620	Canon EOS 500D
Nikon D5000	Panasonic DMC-G1

ISO 1600

Olympus E-620	Canon EOS 500D
Nikon D5000	Panasonic DMC-G1

ISO 3200

Olympus E-620	Canon EOS 500D
Nikon D5000	Panasonic DMC-G1