Olympus E-400 vs Panasonic S1

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.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-400 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-400 Gallery and Panasonic S1 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.