Olympus E-1 vs Pentax WS80

Following is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus E-1 and Pentax WS80, former is a Pro DSLR while the other is a Waterproof by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and WS80 (10MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and WS80 (1/2.3") possess different sensor dimensions.

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The E-1 was brought out 6 years before the WS80 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Pentax WS80 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a full comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-1 scores vs the WS80 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-1 & Pentax Optio WS80. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Pentax WS80 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry around your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-1 features outer 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) and the Pentax WS80 has sizing of 92mm x 60mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.4" x 0.9") along with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

See the Olympus E-1 and Pentax WS80 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the E-1 compared to the WS80.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and WS80 is 59 and 95 respectively.

Often, its tough to imagine the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading through a spec sheet. The pic below should give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-1 and WS80.

As you can see, each of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-1 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Pentax WS80 will give you more detail having its extra 5 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics far more aggressively. The more aged E-1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.