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Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic S1

Portability
77
Imaging
43
Features
31
Overall
38
Olympus E-400 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 front
Portability
96
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic S1 Key Specs

Olympus E-400
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 435g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Launched September 2006
  • Renewed by Olympus E-410
Panasonic S1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Introduced January 2011
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Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic S1 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-400 and Panasonic S1, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-400 (10MP) and the S1 (12MP) is very comparable but the E-400 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-400 was announced 5 years prior to the S1 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-400 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic S1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a detailed comparison, below is a brief view of how the E-400 grades vs the S1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-400 over the Panasonic S1

 E-400 S1 
Focus manually Very exact focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic S1 over the Olympus E-400

 S1 E-400 
IntroducedJanuary 2011September 2006More modern by 52 months
Display sizing2.7"2.5"Larger display (+0.2")
Display resolution230k215kCrisper display (+15k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-400 and Panasonic S1

 E-400 S1 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch display Neither contains Touch display

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic S1 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry around your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-400 has got physical dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 435 grams (0.96 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S1 has sizing of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-400 and Panasonic S1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the E-400 versus the S1.

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic S1 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-400 and S1 is 77 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic S1 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is difficult to visualise the gap in sensor sizes simply by seeing specifications. The picture here might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-400 and S1.

To sum up, the two cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-400 using its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic S1 will provide more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics far more aggressively. The more aged E-400 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-400
Portrait photography with Panasonic S1
45
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
does not have liveview
no manual control
low megapixels (10MP)
21
no manual focus
no manual exposure
no external flash support
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-400 Street photography features
Panasonic S1 Street photography features
60
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (117 grams)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-400 Sports photography info
Panasonic S1 Sports photography info
38
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
has phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (10MP)
27
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no shutter priority mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-400 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic S1 as a Travel photography camera
49
built-in flash
no Time Lapse function
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
62
lighter than others in class (117g)
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
low resolution (12 megapixels)
does not feature selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-400 Landscape photography info
Panasonic S1 Landscape photography info
44
has manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.5 inch)
does not have liveview
no manual control
lack of image stabilization
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
no Time Lapse function
32
fairly wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no manual exposure
low resolution (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-400 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic S1 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
31
fairly wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others in class (117 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
does not feature selfie friendly display
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have mic jack
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Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-400 and Panasonic S1
 Olympus E-400Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus E-400 Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2006-09-14 2011-01-05
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Venus Engine IV
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 3 11
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.1-5.6
Macro focus distance - 5cm
Total lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5" 2.7"
Display resolution 215k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 8 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 10.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.30 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 435g (0.96 lbs) 117g (0.26 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 240 shots
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail price $599 $269