Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic S1

On this page, we are matching up the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic S1, one being a Pro DSLR and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and S1 (24MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and S1 (Full frame) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-1 was launched 16 years before the S1 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic S1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-1 scores against the S1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-1 and Panasonic Lumix DC-S1. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-1 Gallery and Panasonic S1 Gallery.

If you are planning to lug around your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-1 provides external measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") along with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) while the Panasonic S1 has proportions of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") and a weight of 1021 grams (2.25 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic S1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view size comparison of the E-1 and the S1.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and S1 is 59 and 54 respectively.

Quite often, its difficult to visualise the gap between sensor measurements just by looking at technical specs. The graphic here should offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-1 and S1.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-1 because of its tinier sensor will make getting bokeh tougher and the Panasonic S1 will give you more detail utilizing its extra 19MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The older E-1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.