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I used Imatest to check the sharpness of both lenses along with the S-1. The 12-45mm is the better of the two lenses in terms of sharpness. At 12m f/3.5 it shows 2,001 lines per picture height on our center-weighted sharpness test. That's better than the 1,800 lines we look for in an image, and that quality carries through most of the frame. It's just the outer third that is murky, showing 1,366 lines. Stopping down to f/5.6 offers modest improvement (2,105 lines average, 1,632 lines at the edges. Edges are strongest at f/8 (1,704 lines), and the overall sharpness is 2,079 lines there. You're probably shooting JPG with battery such as Kodak EasyShare V530 Battery, Kodak KLIC-7003 Battery, Kodak Easyshare V1003 Battery, Kodak KLIC-7004 Battery, Kodak EasyShare V1273 Battery, Kodak EasyShare M1033 Battery, Kodak DCS-620 Battery, Kodak KLIC-7005 Battery, Kodak EasyShare C763 Battery, Kodak KLIC-7006 Battery, Kodak Easyshare M883 Zoom Battery, Kodak Easyshare M873 Batteryif you buy this camera, but if you do want to shoot Raw be aware that there's strong barrel distortion (2.6 percent) at 12mm.
At 45mm the lens is still pretty good, showing 1,929 lines at the very modest f/6.3 maximum aperture. Edges are not bad at 1,608 lines. Stopping down to f/8 improves the overall score to 2,218 lines, with fairly even performance from edge to edge. Raw images show about 1 percent pincushion distortion, which gives straight lines a very slight inward curve.
The 42.5-150mm is nowhere near as good as the 12-45mm. At its widest angle and aperture (42.5mm f/3.9) it shows a solid 1,980 lines, and it improves to 2,238 lines at f/5.6. JPG images show a bit of barrel distortion (1.7 percent) and Raw photos show a very noticeable 2.7 percent. But that's the lens at its best. At 84mm f/4.6 the sharpness score drops to 1,620 lines—you'll want to stop down to f/5.6 for the best image quality (2,067 lines). But at least distortion isn't an issue in Raw or JPG images.
At 112mm f/5.1 sharpness dips to 1,518 lines; and it's here that edge performance becomes an issue with the lens. The outer third of the frame is blurry, showing just 891 lines; stopping down to f/8 improves the average score to 1,957 lines, but edges are still murky at 1,179 lines. At 160mm f/5.9 it drops again, showing just 1,222 lines, with blurry 849-line edges. It's better at f/8 (1,756 lines), but edges still only show 1,159 lines.
Imatest also checks for noise, which can detract from detail and give photos a grainy look when shooting at higher ISO sensitivity. The ISO jumps when shooting in dim light, or when working with a narrow aperture. The included lenses fit that bill, especially if you stop them down to f/8 for improved image fidelity. The S-1 is a decent performer when it comes to shooting at high ISO, but it lags behind other cameras in its class. It keeps noise under 1.5 percent through ISO 6400 when shooting JPGs at default settings, but a close examination of our test images (included in the slideshow that accompanies this review) on a calibrated NEC MultiSync PA271W display shows that image quality there is very rough. Photos are better at ISO 3200, but the Olympus PEN E-PL7 shows similar image quality when pushed to ISO 6400.
If you do shoot in Raw format you'll be able to push the camera a little further. Noise is an issue, but detail is solid through ISO 6400, and you can use ISO 12800 in a pinch. But, if you're thinking about shooting in Raw and looking for a good low-light performer, this isn't the camera for you. There are a number of mirrorless cameras that do a better job, including the Sony Alpha 6000, Olympus E-PL7, and lower cost options like the Sony Alpha 5000 and Samsung NX3000.
Video is supported at up to 1080p30 quality in QuickTime format. The footage isn't as crisp as I'd expect; textures are a little blurred and even bold text in our studio test scene shows a lack of sharpness at its edges. The camera is fairly slow to refocus as the scene changes, and the included lens is very loud as the autofocus adjusts. There's no way to connect an external mic, but there is a micro HDMI port to connect the S-1 to an HDTV. A standard micro USB port allows you to plug the camera into a computer to transfer data, or into a standard wall outlet (using an included AC adapter) to charge the battery. If you buy an extra battery, you'd be wise to buy an external battery charger at the same time.