Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic S3

Following is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic S3, former is a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and S3 (14MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and S3 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-1 was introduced 8 years earlier than the S3 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a thorough comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-1 scores against the S3 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-1 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-S3. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Panasonic S3 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-1 features physical measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") having a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Panasonic S3 has specifications of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-1 vs Panasonic S3 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-1 versus the S3.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-1 and S3 is 59 and 96 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizes only by checking out a spec sheet. The image underneath might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-1 and S3.

Clearly, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-1 using its bigger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Panasonic S3 will produce extra detail using its extra 9MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively. The more aged E-1 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.