Here you can see the iAuto (intelligent) exposure mode. It looks much like a consumer digicam with minimal information across the screen. You can control the amount of information on the screen by pressing the INFO button. Icons above indicate we are using ISO Auto with the max set at 1600, Face Detection AF, Picture mode 1(iEnhance), Image Stabilizer is set to mode 1, Large Fine image quality, shutter speed (15) and aperture (F4.5), and there's enough room on our SDHC card for 523 frames at the current configuration.

Next we have the screen display in Program AE mode. While this mode is also automatic, you now have access to various exposure settings, like ISO (250), AF mode (S-AF), etc. The E-PL1 also offers more advanced exposure options for experienced users, such as Aperture/Shutter priority and full Manual modes (not shown).

When AF locks, it will briefly show the intended area of focus (not shown), and a Green AF ready dot will appear in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

The above animation shows the different screen/info options available by pressing the INFO button. These options include Information Display Off, Grid Lines (4 types available), Normal info display, Histogram Display, AF point Zoom Display, and Multi View Display.

Here you can see one of the options available when using the E-PL1's new Live Guide Display. Here you can change color saturation by moving up for down the scale to produce either a more vivid photo, or a more natural (clear) looking one.

Above are all of the available options in this menu.

Above you can see the shortcut function menu. This option is activated by pressing the Start/OK button, and gives you quick and easy access to several exposure options, depending on the exposure mode being used.

When you turn the Mode Dial to the ART position you will be shown a menu of the available Art filter/modes (Pop Art, Soft Focus, Grainy Film, Pin Hole, Diorama, Gentle Sepia). These filter options allow you to explore your creativity, with various presets for exposure, color, sharpness and white balance settings.

There are also 19 Scene modes available: Portrait, e-Portrait, Landscape, Landscape + Portrait, Macro, Sport, Night Scene, Night + Portrait, Children, High Key, Low Key, DIS mode, Nature Macro, Candle, Sunset, Document, Panorama, Fireworks, Beach & Snow. First you see a large sample image which then shrinks down to make room for the text explanation of the mode.

Camera 1 menu options:

• Card Setup - All Erase or Format
• Custom Reset - When powered up the camera will be reset to one of two custom settings
• Picture Mode - iEnhance, Vivid, Natural, Muted, Portrait, Monotone, or Custom
• Resolution - Still: RAW, L SuperFine, L Fine, M Normal, S Normal, RAW+LSF+LF/MN/SN
  Movie: HD (1280x720) or SD (640x480)
• Image Aspect - 4:3 (default), 6:6, 16:9, or 3:2

Camera 2 menu options:

• Drive Mode - Single, Burst, Self-timer 12 or 2 seconds
• Image Stabilizer Mode - IS 1, IS 2, IS 3
• Multiple Exposure - Frame (Off or 2F), Auto Gain (Off or On), Overlay (Off or On)
• Flash Exposure Compensation - Adjust intensity up to ±3 EV in 0.3, 0.5, or 1 EV steps
• Flash RC Mode - On or Off
  

Custom menu options:

(A) AF/MF - AF Mode, AF Area, [...] Set Home, Reset Lens, Bulb Focusing, Focus ring, MF Assist

(B) Button - AEL/AFL, AEL/AFL Memo, Fn Button function, Movie shutter function, My Mode Setup, Button Timer

(C) Release - RLS Priority S, RLS Priority C

(D) DISP/Sound/PC - HDMI, Video Out, Sound, Sleep, USB Mode, Live View Boost, Face Detection, INFO Setting, Control Setting, Histogram Setting, EVF Adjus, Backlit LCD, Mode Guide, Play Closeup Mode, Beep Sound, Volume, USB Mode

(E) EXP/Metering/ISO - EV Step, Metering mode, AEL Metering, ISO mode, ISO Step,
ISO-Auto Set, ISO-Auto, Bulb Timer, Anti-Shock


(F) Flash Custom - X-Sync., Slow Limit, Flash/EV Compensation

(G) Resolution/Color/WB - Noise Reduction, Noise Filter, WB mode, All WB, Color Space, Shading Comp., Set Resolution and Compression, Pixel Count

(H) Record/Erase - Quick Erase, RAW+JPEG Erase, File Name, Edit File Name, Priority Setting, dpi Setting


(I) Movie - Movie Mode, Movie+Still, Movie Sound


(J) Camera Utility - Pixel Mapping, Exposure Shift, Battery Warning Level

The E-PL1 continues to offer video recording at either HD (1280x720) or SD (640x480) resolutions. The frame rates are fixed at 30fps, and videos are saved in Motion JPEG (.AVI) format. Olympus added full manual exposure control, as indicated by the M in the upper right hand corner of the screen. This means you can now control both the aperture and shutter speed during movie mode. An exposure value is displayed to the right to indicate whether of not you will achieve an optimum exposure; not shown above.

The maximum recoding time is limited to a max. clip size of 2GB. Because the E-PL1 is an interchangeable lens system, you can manually zoom the lens while recording. Not only does the E-PL1 offer a continuous AF option, but Olympus has added a new AF tracking feature that is available in movie mode. This means the camera will adjust focus while you are zooming as well as follow your moving targets; a feature shared by few dSLR models.

Setup menu options:

• Time and Date - Set the camera's clock
• Language - Choose the Menu language
• Monitor Brightness - Adjust LCD brightness and color temperature
• Rec View - View on LCD after capture: Auto, Off, 1 - 20 seconds
• Custom Menu Display - Show or hide the Custom settings menu
• Firmware - Display firmware revision number