Olympus E-3 vs Panasonic S1

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus E-3 versus Panasonic S1, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizable gap between the image resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and S1 (24MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and S1 (Full frame) offer totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-3 was manufactured 12 years earlier than the S1 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic S1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a more detailed comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-3 matches up against the S1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-3 & Panasonic Lumix DC-S1. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Panasonic S1 Gallery.

If you're going to carry your camera often, you will need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-3 comes with outer dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) while the Panasonic S1 has measurements of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") along with a weight of 1021 grams (2.25 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-3 versus Panasonic S1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-3 vs the S1.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and S1 is 56 and 54 respectively.

Sometimes, it's tough to see the gap between sensor sizing just by checking a spec sheet. The visual here may give you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-3 and S1.

As you can see, both the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-3 featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Panasonic S1 will give you extra detail due to its extra 14 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.