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Olympus E-520 vs Pentax S1

Portability
68
Imaging
45
Features
45
Overall
45
Olympus E-520 front
 
Pentax Optio S1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax S1 Key Specs

Olympus E-520
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 552g - 136 x 92 x 68mm
  • Announced August 2008
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-510
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-520 vs Pentax S1 Overview

Here is a detailed analysis of the Olympus E-520 and Pentax S1, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and S1 (14MP) and the E-520 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") posses different sensor measurements.

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The E-520 was released 3 years prior to the S1 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-520 scores vs the S1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-520 over the Pentax S1

 E-520 S1 

Reasons to pick Pentax S1 over the Olympus E-520

 S1 E-520 
RevealedMarch 2011August 2008Fresher by 30 months

Common features in the Olympus E-520 and Pentax S1

 E-520 S1 
Focus manually More exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions2.7"2.7"Equal display measurements
Display resolution230k230kEqual display resolution
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax S1 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera often, you're going to have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-520 features exterior dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") along with a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) whilst the Pentax S1 has specifications of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-520 and Pentax S1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-520 against the S1.

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax S1 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-520 and S1 is 68 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax S1 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizing simply by checking out specs. The graphic below might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and S1.

All in all, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-520 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Pentax S1 will produce more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older E-520 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-520 vs Pentax S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-520 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax S1 as a Portrait photography camera
59
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
low MP (10MP)
35
you can focus manually
good resolution (14MP)
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-520 Street photography details
Pentax S1 Street photography details
65
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
screen does not articulate
56
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-520 Sports photography factors
Pentax S1 Sports photography factors
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
good battery life (650 CIPA)
sensor has phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
low MP (10MP)
39
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14MP)
features tracking focus
slow frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-520 Travel photography factors
Pentax S1 Travel photography factors
52
good battery life (650 shots)
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low MP (10MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
64
good resolution (14MP)
has built in flash
decently wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-520 Landscape photography information
Pentax S1 Landscape photography information
58
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
good battery life (650 CIPA)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
low MP (10 megapixels)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
42
you can focus manually
decently wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-520 Vlogging advice
Pentax S1 Vlogging advice
9
can't shoot video
28
decently wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic port
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Olympus E-520 vs Pentax S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-520 and Pentax S1
 Olympus E-520Pentax Optio S1
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus E-520 Pentax Optio S1
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2008-08-20 2011-03-02
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
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 10 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 1600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Available lenses 45 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1500 secs
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.90 m
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video format - Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 552g (1.22 lb) 157g (0.35 lb)
Physical dimensions 136 x 92 x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 548 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 photographs 260 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at release $400 $174