Olympus E-1 vs Olympus SH-1

In this article, we will be looking at the Olympus E-1 and Olympus SH-1, one being a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both are built by Olympus. There is a big difference among the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and SH-1 (16MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and SH-1 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-1 was launched 11 years earlier than the SH-1 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Olympus SH-1 being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a full comparison, below is a quick summary of how the E-1 matches up against the SH-1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-1 and Olympus Stylus SH-1. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-1 Gallery and Olympus SH-1 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry your camera often, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-1 has outside dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Olympus SH-1 has sizing of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-1 and Olympus SH-1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the E-1 compared to the SH-1.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and SH-1 is 59 and 88 respectively.

Usually, it can be difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing only by looking through specifications. The photograph below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-1 and SH-1.

To sum up, each of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-1 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus SH-1 will render more detail utilizing its extra 11 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older E-1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.