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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S1

Portability
80
Imaging
54
Features
84
Overall
66
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 front
Portability
96
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S1 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Launched February 2015
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-M5
  • Successor is Olympus E-M5 III
Panasonic S1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
  • 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
  • Launched January 2011
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S1 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S1, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-M5 II (16MP) and S1 (12MP) and the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-M5 II was announced 4 years after the S1 which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S1 being a Compact camera.

Before we go through a full comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-M5 II matches up vs the S1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Panasonic S1

 E-M5 II S1 
LaunchedFebruary 2015January 2011Newer by 50 months
Manual focus More exact focus
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kCrisper screen (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic S1 over the Olympus E-M5 II

 S1 E-M5 II 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic S1

 E-M5 II S1 

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S1 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M5 II comes with physical measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) and the Panasonic S1 has measurements of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you select during that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the E-M5 II vs the S1.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S1 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 II and S1 is 80 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is very hard to see the gap between sensor dimensions just by reading through specs. The pic underneath might provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 II and S1.

All in all, each of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 II using its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-M5 II will give extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more modern E-M5 II will have an edge in sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic S1 Portrait photography highlights
72
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
21
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Street photography camera
Panasonic S1 as a Street photography camera
82
screen articulates fully
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
supports focus via touch
environment proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (117g)
fixed screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Sports photography with Panasonic S1
65
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
environment proofing
terrible battery power (310 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect AF
27
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography highlights
Panasonic S1 Travel photography highlights
74
environment proofing
supports focus via touch
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
display is selfie friendly
terrible battery power (310 shots)
62
lighter than competition in class (117g)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
no Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography info
Panasonic S1 Landscape photography info
74
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
environment proofing
terrible battery power (310 shots)
32
reasonably wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
focusing manually not possible
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
no manual control
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging features
Panasonic S1 Vlogging features
82
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone port
31
reasonably wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (117g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
no microphone socket
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Panasonic S1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPanasonic Lumix DMC-S1
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1
Category Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2015-02-06 2011-01-05
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII Venus Engine IV
Sensor type MOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Min native ISO 200 100
RAW photos
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.1-5.6
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Screen type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of screen 1,037k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 8 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Max silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.30 m
Flash options Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 469 grams (1.03 lb) 117 grams (0.26 lb)
Dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light rating 896 not tested
Other
Battery life 310 pictures 240 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Launch pricing $699 $269