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Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax S1

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Pentax Optio S1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax 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 Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
  • Launched February 2015
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-M5
  • Later Model is Olympus E-M5 III
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
  • Released March 2011
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax S1 Overview

The following is a in-depth overview of the Olympus E-M5 II versus Pentax S1, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the S1 (14MP) is very well matched but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor size.

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The E-M5 II was unveiled 3 years after the S1 which is quite a big difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-M5 II matches up versus the S1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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

 E-M5 II S1 
ReleasedFebruary 2015March 2011Newer by 48 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1037k230kCrisper display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

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

 S1 E-M5 II 

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

 E-M5 II S1 
Manually focus More exact focus

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax S1 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus E-M5 II has got outside measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") along with a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) whilst the Pentax S1 has sizing of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-M5 II versus Pentax S1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the E-M5 II vs the S1.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax S1 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 II and S1 is 80 and 93 respectively.

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

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax S1 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very tough to see the contrast between sensor dimensions only by checking specs. The picture underneath will offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 II and S1.

All in all, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 II using its larger sensor will make shooting bokeh easier and the Olympus E-M5 II will give more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-M5 II is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax S1 as a Portrait photography camera
71
you can focus manually
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
35
you can focus manually
decent MP (14MP)
no manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Street photography with Pentax S1
82
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
offers touch focus
environment sealing
above average ISO range (25,600)
56
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no moving screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Sports photography with Pentax S1
65
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports tracking focus
environment sealing
low battery (310 per charge)
lacks phase detect AF
39
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
slow fps (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II as a Travel photography camera
Pentax S1 as a Travel photography camera
74
environment sealing
offers touch focus
decent MP (16MP)
selfie friendly display
low battery (310 CIPA)
64
decent MP (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse recording
does not have a selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Landscape photography details
Pentax S1 Landscape photography details
74
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
low battery (310 per charge)
42
you can focus manually
rather wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7")
no manual exposure
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Vlogging details
Pentax S1 Vlogging details
82
selfie friendly display
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
includes mic socket
28
rather wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external microphone socket
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Pentax S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Pentax S1
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIPentax Optio S1
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus OM-D E-M5 II Pentax Optio S1
Type Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2015-02-06 2011-03-02
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type MOS 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 aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 1,037k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1500 seconds
Fastest silent shutter speed 1/16000 seconds -
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash settings Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
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 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 469g (1.03 pounds) 157g (0.35 pounds)
Physical dimensions 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 73 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 896 not tested
Other
Battery life 310 photographs 260 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Launch cost $699 $174