Olympus E-500 vs Panasonic S1

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic S1, one being a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. There is a big difference between the image resolutions of the E-500 (8MP) and S1 (12MP) and the E-500 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") use different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-500 was manufactured 6 years before the S1 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-500 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Panasonic S1 being a Compact camera.

Before we go through a complete comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the E-500 scores versus the S1 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-500 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-500 Gallery and Panasonic S1 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-500 provides external dimensions of 130mm x 95mm x 66mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.6") along with a weight of 479 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S1 has dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") along with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

See the Olympus E-500 versus Panasonic S1 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the E-500 and the S1.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-500 and S1 is 70 and 96 respectively.

Usually, it can be difficult to visualize the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading through technical specs. The visual here might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-500 and S1.

As you have seen, both of those cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-500 because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh easier and the Panasonic S1 will give you greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics far more aggressively. The older E-500 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.