Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-S1

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-S1, both Advanced DSLR cameras by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-30 (12MP) and K-S1 (20MP) and the E-30 (Four Thirds) and K-S1 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-30 was unveiled 6 years before the K-S1 which is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-30 scores versus the K-S1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-30 and Pentax K-S1. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-30 Gallery and Pentax K-S1 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera, you'll need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-30 comes with external dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") having a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-S1 has sizing of 121mm x 93mm x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") with a weight of 558 grams (1.23 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-30 vs Pentax K-S1 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are using during that time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-30 compared to the K-S1.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-30 and K-S1 is 60 and 69 respectively.

Quite often, it's difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes only by seeing a spec sheet. The pic below should give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-30 and K-S1.

As you can see, both the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-30 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-S1 will show greater detail having an extra 8MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E-30 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.