Olympus E-520 vs Pentax S1

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-520 & Pentax Optio S1. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Pentax S1 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.