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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax S1

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Pentax Optio S1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax S1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Announced October 2013
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Pentax S1
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Launched March 2011
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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax S1 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-M1 versus Pentax S1, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the S1 (14MP) is pretty close but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") boast different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M1 was announced 2 years later than the S1 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-M1 matches up vs the S1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Pentax S1

 E-M1 S1 
LaunchedOctober 2013March 2011More recent by 33 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax S1 over the Olympus E-M1

 S1 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Pentax S1

 E-M1 S1 
Focus manually Very precise focus
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax S1 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to lug around your camera often, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M1 provides outer dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") having a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) whilst 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).

Check the Olympus E-M1 versus Pentax S1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-M1 and the S1.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax S1 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and S1 is 71 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax S1 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is hard to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements merely by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph below will help give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 and S1.

As you can see, the two cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M1 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-M1 will provide you with extra detail with its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The younger E-M1 should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography factors
Pentax S1 Portrait photography factors
71
focusing manually
above average flash sync speed (1/320 seconds)
decent megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
35
manual focus
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography info
Pentax S1 Street photography info
78
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
includes touch focus
weather sealing
lighter than competition in class (497g)
above average high ISO (25,600)
56
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M1
Sports photography with Pentax S1
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather sealing
has phase detect autofocus
terrible battery pack (350 per charge)
39
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14MP)
supports tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography details
Pentax S1 Travel photography details
65
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
weather sealing
includes touch focus
decent megapixels (16MP)
terrible battery pack (350 shots)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
64
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Landscape photography factors
Pentax S1 Landscape photography factors
73
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
terrible battery pack (350 CIPA)
42
manual focus
quite wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (14MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7 inches)
no manual control
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
lack of Timelapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M1
Vlogging with Pentax S1
36
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has external microphone socket
lighter than competition in class (497 grams)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
28
quite wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone port
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Olympus E-M1 vs Pentax S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Pentax S1
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Pentax Optio S1
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Pentax Optio S1
Type Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2013-10-28 2011-03-02
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePIC VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 81 9
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 range - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1500s
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash settings Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/320s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 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)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 497 grams (1.10 lbs) 157 grams (0.35 lbs)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.7 not tested
DXO Low light rating 757 not tested
Other
Battery life 350 images 260 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $799 $174