Olympus E-1 vs Pentax K-S2

Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus E-1 and Pentax K-S2, former being a Pro DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and K-S2 (20MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and K-S2 (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-1 was announced 12 years earlier than the K-S2 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-1 scores versus the K-S2 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-1 & Pentax K-S2. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Pentax K-S2 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-1 has external dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") along with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) and the Pentax K-S2 has sizing of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") with a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-1 and Pentax K-S2 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the E-1 against the K-S2.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and K-S2 is 59 and 64 respectively.

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to envision the contrast between sensor measurements just by reading through specs. The graphic underneath may offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and K-S2.

All in all, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-1 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-S2 will give you greater detail with its extra 15MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older E-1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.