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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 III

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III front
Portability
67
Imaging
62
Features
96
Overall
75

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 III 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
  • New Model is Olympus E-3
Olympus E-M1 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 580g - 134 x 91 x 69mm
  • Introduced February 2020
  • Older Model is Olympus E-M1 II
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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 III Overview

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-1 and Olympus E-M1 III, former being a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless and both of them are created by Olympus. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and E-M1 III (20MP) but they come with the same exact sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-1 was manufactured 17 years before the E-M1 III and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a full comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-1 matches up vs the E-M1 III when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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

 E-1 E-M1 III 

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

 E-M1 III E-1 
IntroducedFebruary 2020November 2003Fresher by 197 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution1037k134kClearer screen (+903k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

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

 E-1 E-M1 III 
Manually focus Very exact focusing

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 III Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry your camera regularly, you should consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-1 has physical measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Olympus E-M1 III has dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") having a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-1 and Olympus E-M1 III in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the E-1 vs the E-M1 III.

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

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-1 and E-M1 III is 59 and 67 respectively.

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

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 III Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to picture the gap in sensor sizing just by seeing specifications. The graphic below will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-1 and E-M1 III.

Plainly, the two cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different resolution. You can count on the Olympus E-M1 III to show greater detail due to its extra 15 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures far more aggressively. The older E-1 will be behind in sensor technology.

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

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

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 Portrait photography advice
Olympus E-M1 III Portrait photography advice
46
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
no liveview feature
low megapixels (5 megapixels)
77
has manual focus
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Street photography camera
Olympus E-M1 III as a Street photography camera
57
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
lighter than average in class (735 grams)
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
78
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
offers focus via touch
weather proof
great high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 Sports photography advice
Olympus E-M1 III Sports photography advice
40
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
environment proof
comes with phase detect AF
no liveview feature
slow fps (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (5MP)
81
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
max frames per second high (60.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
weather proof
sensor has phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography features
Olympus E-M1 III Travel photography features
47
lighter than average in class (735g)
environment proof
missing Timelapse mode
low megapixels (5MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
79
weather proof
connects via bluetooth
offers focus via touch
good MP (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 Landscape photography factors
Olympus E-M1 III Landscape photography factors
46
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
tiny screen (1.8 inch)
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (5 megapixels)
missing Timelapse mode
81
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
does not have low pass filter
great high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather proof
2 card slots
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus E-M1 III as a Vlogging camera
9
can't shoot video
79
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect autofocus
high res video (4096 x 2160 resolution)
includes microphone support
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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus E-M1 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Olympus E-M1 III
 Olympus E-1Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus E-1 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
Class Pro DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2003-11-29 2020-02-11
Physical type Large SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - TruePic IX
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 17.4 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 226.2mm²
Sensor resolution 5 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3
Highest Possible resolution 2560 x 1920 5184 x 3888
Maximum native ISO 3200 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 200
RAW photos
Minimum enhanced ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 3 121
Cross type focus points - 121
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 45 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display sizing 1.8" 3"
Resolution of display 134k dots 1,037k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360k dots
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x 0.74x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Max quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per sec 60.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution None 4096x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 735 grams (1.62 pounds) 580 grams (1.28 pounds)
Dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 134 x 91 x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 420 shots
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - BLH-1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot)
Card slots One 2
Retail price $1,700 $1,800