Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S1
81 Imaging
51 Features
70 Overall
58


96 Imaging
35 Features
21 Overall
29
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S1 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 425g - 122 x 89 x 43mm
- Released April 2012
- Successor is Olympus E-M5 II
(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
- Announced January 2011

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S1 Overview
Here is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic S1, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a substantial gap between the image resolutions of the E-M5 (16MP) and S1 (12MP) and the E-M5 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") possess different sensor sizes.

The E-M5 was brought out 17 months later than the S1 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S1 being a Compact camera.
Before going straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick view of how the E-M5 grades against the S1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S1 Gallery
Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-M5 Gallery & Panasonic S1 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 over the Panasonic S1
E-M5 | S1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | April 2012 | ![]() | January 2011 | Fresher by 17 months |
Manually focus | ![]() | More exact focusing | ||
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Screen resolution | 610k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper screen (+380k dot) |
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic S1 over the Olympus E-M5
S1 | E-M5 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic S1
E-M5 | S1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Selfie screen | ![]() | No selfie screen |
Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S1 Physical Comparison
If you are intending to carry your camera frequently, you will need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 features outside measurements of 122mm x 89mm x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 425 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic S1 has specifications of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).
Compare the Olympus E-M5 versus Panasonic S1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the E-M5 versus the S1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 and S1 is 81 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S1 Sensor Comparison
Typically, it is tough to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing simply by reviewing a spec sheet. The graphic below may offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 and S1.
Clearly, both of those cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 because of its bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh easier and the Olympus E-M5 will offer you extra detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The newer E-M5 provides an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S1 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 vs Panasonic S1 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 |
Type | Advanced Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
Released | 2012-04-30 | 2011-01-05 |
Physical type | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic VI | Venus Engine IV |
Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 17.3 x 13mm | 6.08 x 4.56mm |
Sensor surface area | 224.9mm² | 27.7mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
Anti aliasing 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 |
Minimum native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW pictures | ||
Minimum enhanced ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Number of focus points | 35 | 11 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 28-112mm (4.0x) |
Highest aperture | - | f/3.1-5.6 |
Macro focus range | - | 5cm |
Available lenses | 107 | - |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Screen diagonal | 3" | 2.7" |
Screen resolution | 610 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Screen technology | Touch control in electrostatic capacitance type OLED monitor | TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic | None |
Viewfinder resolution | 1,440 thousand dots | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.58x | - |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 secs | 8 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/1600 secs |
Continuous shutter rate | 9.0 frames/s | - |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 3.30 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync (2), Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | 1/250 secs | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video data format | H.264, Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | 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 | 425 gr (0.94 lb) | 117 gr (0.26 lb) |
Dimensions | 122 x 89 x 43mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.7") | 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | 71 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | 22.8 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 12.3 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 826 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 360 shots | 240 shots |
Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLN-1 | - |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Pricing at release | $799 | $269 |