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Olympus E-5 vs Pentax S1

Portability
58
Imaging
48
Features
76
Overall
59
Olympus E-5 front
 
Pentax Optio S1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax S1 Key Specs

Olympus E-5
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 800g - 143 x 117 x 75mm
  • Revealed February 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-3
Pentax S1
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Revealed March 2011
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Olympus E-5 vs Pentax S1 Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus E-5 and Pentax S1, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the E-5 (12MP) and the S1 (14MP) is fairly similar but the E-5 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-5 was unveiled around the same time to the S1 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a in-depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-5 grades vs the S1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-5 over the Pentax S1

 E-5 S1 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kClearer display (+690k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Reasons to pick Pentax S1 over the Olympus E-5

 S1 E-5 

Common features in the Olympus E-5 and Pentax S1

 E-5 S1 
RevealedFebruary 2011March 2011Similar age
Manually focus Very precise focus
Touch display Missing Touch display

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax S1 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-5 provides external measurements of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Pentax S1 has dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-5 and Pentax S1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the E-5 compared to the S1.

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax S1 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and S1 is 58 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax S1 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it can be tough to see the difference between sensor sizing merely by reviewing technical specs. The photograph here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-5 and S1.

As you can tell, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-5 with its larger sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Pentax S1 will offer you more detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos far more aggressively.

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-5 vs Pentax S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-5 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax S1 Portrait photography highlights
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
35
manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-5 Street photography details
Pentax S1 Street photography details
71
screen articulates
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
weather proofing
56
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-5 Sports photography information
Pentax S1 Sports photography information
59
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather proofing
has phase detect AF
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames/s)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
39
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-5 as a Travel photography camera
Pentax S1 as a Travel photography camera
56
weather proofing
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
missing Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution low (12MP)
64
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-5 Landscape photography factors
Pentax S1 Landscape photography factors
65
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
weather proofing
has double storage slots
sensor resolution low (12MP)
missing Time Lapse mode
42
manual focus
rather wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no manual exposure
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
no Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-5 Vlogging details
Pentax S1 Vlogging details
64
selfie friendly screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focusing
has external mic port
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
28
rather wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external mic jack
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Olympus E-5 vs Pentax S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-5 and Pentax S1
 Olympus E-5Pentax Optio S1
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus E-5 Pentax Optio S1
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2011-02-03 2011-03-02
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic V+ -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 9
Cross type focus points 11 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 45 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 920 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology HyperCrystal transmissive LCD TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.58x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1500s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 18.00 m (at ISO 200) 3.90 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 800g (1.76 lb) 157g (0.35 lb)
Dimensions 143 x 117 x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 56 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.5 not tested
DXO Low light rating 519 not tested
Other
Battery life 870 shots 260 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLM-5 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II)/SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Two One
Launch price $1,700 $174