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Olympus E-1 vs Pentax S1

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Pentax Optio S1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax S1 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
  • Released November 2003
  • Successor is Olympus E-3
Pentax S1
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Introduced March 2011
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Olympus E-1 vs Pentax S1 Overview

Following is a extended review of the Olympus E-1 versus Pentax S1, one is a Pro DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a big gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and S1 (14MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-1 was brought out 8 years prior to the S1 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a simple overview of how the E-1 scores versus the S1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Pentax S1

 E-1 S1 

Reasons to pick Pentax S1 over the Olympus E-1

 S1 E-1 
IntroducedMarch 2011November 2003More modern by 88 months
Display size2.7"1.8"Larger display (+0.9")
Display resolution230k134kCrisper display (+96k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Pentax S1

 E-1 S1 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch display Neither offers Touch display

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax S1 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you will have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-1 offers external measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") having a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Pentax S1 has specifications of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

See the Olympus E-1 versus Pentax S1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the E-1 compared to the S1.

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax S1 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and S1 is 59 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax S1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's difficult to see the gap in sensor sizes purely by viewing technical specs. The pic underneath might provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-1 and S1.

As you have seen, both the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-1 featuring a larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Pentax S1 will result in more detail having its extra 9MP. Greater resolution will help you crop images way more aggressively. The more aged E-1 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Pentax S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-1
Portrait photography with Pentax S1
46
has manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
does not have liveview
sensor resolution not great (5 megapixels)
35
focusing manually
decent MP (14MP)
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 Street photography information
Pentax S1 Street photography information
57
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
lighter than competition in class (735 grams)
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
56
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-1
Sports photography with Pentax S1
40
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (5 megapixels)
39
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14MP)
features tracking focus
max fps low (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-1
Travel photography with Pentax S1
47
lighter than competition in class (735g)
weather proofing
no Time Lapse function
sensor resolution not great (5 megapixels)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
64
decent MP (14MP)
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
no Timelapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 Landscape photography info
Pentax S1 Landscape photography info
46
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
small screen (1.8")
does not have liveview
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (5MP)
no Time Lapse function
42
focusing manually
pretty wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7")
manual exposure not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax S1 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video recording
28
pretty wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no microphone jack
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Olympus E-1 vs Pentax S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Pentax S1
 Olympus E-1Pentax Optio S1
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-1 Pentax Optio S1
Type Pro DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Released 2003-11-29 2011-03-02
Body design Large SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 5MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 2560 x 1920 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Total lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 1.8" 2.7"
Screen resolution 134 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1500 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 735 grams (1.62 lbs) 157 grams (0.35 lbs)
Physical dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 260 photos
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $1,700 $174