Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic S1

The following is a detailed overview of the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic S1, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and S1 (24MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and S1 (Full frame) provide different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was introduced 14 years prior to the S1 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic S1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summary of how the E-500 matches up vs the S1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-500 & Panasonic Lumix DC-S1. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-500 Gallery & Panasonic S1 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-500 comes with exterior dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") having a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) while the Panasonic S1 has specifications of 149mm x 110mm x 97mm (5.9" x 4.3" x 3.8") along with a weight of 1021 grams (2.25 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-500 and Panasonic S1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-500 against the S1.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-500 and S1 is 70 and 54 respectively.

Quite often, it is difficult to imagine the gap in sensor dimensions simply by going through technical specs. The image below should offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-500 and S1.

As you have seen, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-500 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Panasonic S1 will provide more detail using its extra 16 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-500 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.