Olympus E-3 vs Pentax S1

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus E-3 and Pentax S1, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap between the resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and S1 (14MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") have different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-3 was revealed 4 years earlier than the S1 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-3 scores against the S1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-3 & Pentax Optio S1. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Pentax S1 Gallery.

When you are going to travel with your camera often, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-3 has external measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Pentax S1 has measurements of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-3 and Pentax S1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select at that moment. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-3 against the S1.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and S1 is 56 and 93 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions merely by reviewing specifications. The picture here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and S1.

To sum up, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-3 using its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Pentax S1 will deliver extra detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.