Olympus E-1 vs Pentax Q-S1

On this page, we are matching up the Olympus E-1 and Pentax Q-S1, one is a Pro DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizeable difference among the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and Q-S1 (12MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and Q-S1 (1/1.7") boast totally different sensor sizing.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The E-1 was brought out 11 years prior to the Q-S1 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Pentax Q-S1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-1 grades against the Q-S1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-1 and Pentax Q-S1. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-1 Gallery and Pentax Q-S1 Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-1 offers external measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) while the Pentax Q-S1 has sizing of 105mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 203 grams (0.45 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-1 and Pentax Q-S1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are employing during that time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the E-1 versus the Q-S1.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and Q-S1 is 59 and 92 respectively.

Often, its tough to visualise the difference in sensor dimensions purely by looking through a spec sheet. The image here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-1 and Q-S1.

As you can see, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-1 because of its larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Pentax Q-S1 will provide you with more detail having its extra 7 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-1 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.