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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic XS1

Portability
67
Imaging
41
Features
31
Overall
37
Olympus E-300 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 front
Portability
97
Imaging
40
Features
26
Overall
34

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic XS1 Key Specs

Olympus E-300
(Full Review)
  • 8MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 400 (Expand to 1600)
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 624g - 147 x 85 x 64mm
  • Released January 2005
  • Alternate Name is EVOLT E-300
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-330
Panasonic XS1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 103g - 94 x 54 x 14mm
  • Revealed January 2013
Photography Glossary

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic XS1 Overview

Here, we are evaluating the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic XS1, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-300 (8MP) and XS1 (16MP) and the E-300 (Four Thirds) and XS1 (1/2.3") boast different sensor size.

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The E-300 was launched 9 years earlier than the XS1 and that is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-300 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic XS1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-300 scores against the XS1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-300 over the Panasonic XS1

 E-300 XS1 
Focus manually More exact focusing

Reasons to pick Panasonic XS1 over the Olympus E-300

 XS1 E-300 
RevealedJanuary 2013January 2005More recent by 97 months
Display size2.7"1.8"Larger display (+0.9")
Display resolution230k134kClearer display (+96k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic XS1

 E-300 XS1 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch display Absent Touch display

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic XS1 Physical Comparison

In case you're intending to lug around your camera, you will need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-300 comes with external measurements of 147mm x 85mm x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 624 grams (1.38 lbs) while the Panasonic XS1 has measurements of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") along with a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-300 and Panasonic XS1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose at the time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-300 vs the XS1.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic XS1 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-300 and XS1 is 67 and 97 respectively.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic XS1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic XS1 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to visualize the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading through specifications. The photograph below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-300 and XS1.

To sum up, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-300 featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Panasonic XS1 will give extra detail utilizing its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The older E-300 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic XS1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-300 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic XS1 Portrait photography advice
48
manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
30
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-300 Street photography info
Panasonic XS1 Street photography info
51
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
max ISO too low (400)
64
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (103 grams)
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-300 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic XS1 as a Sports photography camera
37
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has phase detect auto focus
doesn't have liveview
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (8MP)
41
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
comes with tracking focus
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-300 Travel photography details
Panasonic XS1 Travel photography details
45
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse function
low megapixels (8MP)
does not contain selfie friendly display
69
lighter than average (103 grams)
decent megapixels (16MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (24mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-300 Landscape photography details
Panasonic XS1 Landscape photography details
43
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
small screen (1.8 inches)
doesn't have liveview
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (8 megapixels)
max ISO too low (400)
lack of Timelapse function
39
reasonably wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not available
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-300 Vlogging advice
Panasonic XS1 Vlogging advice
9
no video recording
31
reasonably wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average (103 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have microphone socket
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Olympus E-300 vs Panasonic XS1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-300 and Panasonic XS1
 Olympus E-300Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus E-300 Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
Alternative name EVOLT E-300 -
Type Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Released 2005-01-10 2013-01-07
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 8MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Peak resolution 3264 x 2448 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 400 6400
Highest enhanced ISO 1600 -
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 3 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/2.8-6.9
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 1.8 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 134 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance - 4.40 m
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 624g (1.38 lb) 103g (0.23 lb)
Physical dimensions 147 x 85 x 64mm (5.8" x 3.3" x 2.5") 94 x 54 x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 260 photographs
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type Compact Flash (Type I or II) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Launch cost $800 $130