Olympus E-5 vs Panasonic S1

The following is a extended assessment of the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic S1, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the E-5 (12MP) and S1 (24MP) and the E-5 (Four Thirds) and S1 (Full frame) use totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-5 was released 9 years before the S1 which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic S1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go through a in-depth comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-5 grades against the S1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-5 and Panasonic Lumix DC-S1. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-5 Gallery and Panasonic S1 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera often, you're going to have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-5 enjoys physical measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) and the Panasonic S1 has sizing of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") with a weight of 1021 grams (2.25 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-5 and Panasonic S1 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are using at that time. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-5 against the S1.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and S1 is 58 and 54 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to see the contrast between sensor dimensions only by checking specs. The image underneath will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-5 and S1.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-5 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Panasonic S1 will resolve extra detail as a result of its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged E-5 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.