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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 Key Specs

Olympus E-1
(Full Review)
  • 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
  • Introduced November 2003
  • Renewed by Olympus E-3
Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Introduced October 2013
  • Newer Model is Olympus E-M1 II
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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 Overview

Let's examine more in depth at the Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1, one being a Pro DSLR and the other is a Pro Mirrorless and both of them are produced by Olympus. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and E-M1 (16MP) but they come with the exact same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-1 was launched 11 years earlier than the E-M1 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-1 scores vs the E-M1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Olympus E-M1

 E-1 E-M1 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Olympus E-1

 E-M1 E-1 
IntroducedOctober 2013November 2003Fresher by 120 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"1.8"Larger display (+1.2")
Display resolution1037k134kClearer display (+903k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Olympus E-M1

 E-1 E-M1 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-1 has got external dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) while the Olympus E-M1 has dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") and a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at the time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-1 vs the E-M1.

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and E-M1 is 59 and 71 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizing only by going through technical specs. The visual below might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-1 and E-M1.

As you have seen, both of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements but not the same megapixels. You should anticipate the Olympus E-M1 to show extra detail utilizing its extra 11 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics much more aggressively. The older E-1 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus E-M1 as a Portrait photography camera
46
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
does not have liveview
low MP (5MP)
71
focusing manually
above average flash sync speed (1/320s)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focusing
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 Street photography details
Olympus E-M1 Street photography details
57
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
lighter than competitors (735 grams)
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
78
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
comes with focus by touch
environment proofing
lighter than others in class (497g)
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 Sports photography details
Olympus E-M1 Sports photography details
40
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
weather proof
comes with phase detect AF
does not have liveview
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
does not have image stabilization
low MP (5 megapixels)
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
environment proofing
comes with phase detect AF
not so great battery (350 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography details
Olympus E-M1 Travel photography details
47
lighter than competitors (735 grams)
weather proof
missing Time Lapse recording
low MP (5MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
65
lighter than others in class (497g)
environment proofing
comes with focus by touch
good resolution (16MP)
not so great battery (350 per charge)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 Landscape photography highlights
Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography highlights
46
manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
screen is small (1.8")
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
low MP (5MP)
missing Time Lapse recording
73
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
not so great battery (350 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 Vlogging advice
Olympus E-M1 Vlogging advice
9
lack of video recording
36
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have microphone jack
lighter than others in class (497 grams)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Olympus E-M1
 Olympus E-1Olympus OM-D E-M1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-1 Olympus OM-D E-M1
Class Pro DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2003-11-29 2013-10-28
Body design Large SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - TruePIC VII
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 5 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 2560 x 1920 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 3 81
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 45 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 1.8 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 134 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x 0.74x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 60s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180s 1/320s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 735g (1.62 lbs) 497g (1.10 lbs)
Dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 73
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.7
DXO Low light score not tested 757
Other
Battery life - 350 shots
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery model - BLN-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Retail cost $1,700 $799