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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SH-50

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Olympus SH-50 front
Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
48
Overall
43

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SH-50 Key Specs

Olympus E-1
(Full Review)
  • 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
  • Introduced November 2003
  • Renewed by Olympus E-3
Olympus SH-50
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 269g - 112 x 63 x 42mm
  • Announced January 2013
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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SH-50 Overview

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-1 and Olympus SH-50, one being a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are designed by Olympus. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and SH-50 (16MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and SH-50 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-1 was unveiled 10 years prior to the SH-50 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Olympus SH-50 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-1 grades vs the SH-50 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Olympus SH-50

 E-1 SH-50 

Reasons to pick Olympus SH-50 over the Olympus E-1

 SH-50 E-1 
AnnouncedJanuary 2013November 2003More recent by 110 months
Screen size3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution460k134kCrisper screen (+326k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Olympus SH-50

 E-1 SH-50 
Manual focus More exact focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SH-50 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-1 comes with exterior 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) whilst the Olympus SH-50 has specifications of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-1 and Olympus SH-50 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use during that time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-1 vs the SH-50.

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SH-50 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and SH-50 is 59 and 88 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SH-50 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SH-50 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is difficult to envision the difference between sensor measurements merely by going over specifications. The graphic here might give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-1 and SH-50.

To sum up, both of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-1 having a bigger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus SH-50 will offer greater detail having an extra 11MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older E-1 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SH-50 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SH-50 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SH-50 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 Portrait photography information
Olympus SH-50 Portrait photography information
46
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
no liveview feature
megapixel count low (5MP)
44
focusing manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
features face detect focus
no external flash support
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 Street photography features
Olympus SH-50 Street photography features
57
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
lighter than competition in class (735g)
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
64
has image stabilization (Optical)
boasts focus by touch
lighter than competition (269g)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 Sports photography features
Olympus SH-50 Sports photography features
40
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
environment proofing
supports phase detect AF
no liveview feature
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (5 megapixels)
48
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
features tracking focus
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-1
Travel photography with Olympus SH-50
47
lighter than competition in class (735 grams)
environment proofing
does not have Timelapse mode
megapixel count low (5MP)
display is not selfie friendly
69
lighter than competition (269g)
boasts focus by touch
decent MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
really wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
missing Time Lapse function
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 Landscape photography information
Olympus SH-50 Landscape photography information
46
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
screen is somewhat small (1.8 inch)
no liveview feature
lack of image stabilization
megapixel count low (5MP)
does not have Timelapse mode
49
focusing manually
really wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-1
Vlogging with Olympus SH-50
9
can't shoot video
34
really wide (25mm)
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition (269 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
missing mic support
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Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SH-50 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Olympus SH-50
 Olympus E-1Olympus SH-50
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus E-1 Olympus SH-50
Class Pro DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2003-11-29 2013-01-08
Physical type Large SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - TruePic VI
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 5MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 2560 x 1920 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 3200 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 125
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-600mm (24.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.0-6.9
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 1.8 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 134k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 15 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 4.00 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 735g (1.62 pounds) 269g (0.59 pounds)
Physical dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 112 x 63 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery model - SLB-10A
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec, Pet Auto Shutter)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $1,700 $300