Olympus E-P2 vs Pentax S1

Its time to look closer at the Olympus E-P2 versus Pentax S1, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-P2 (12MP) and the S1 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the E-P2 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") feature different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P2 was announced 10 months prior to the S1 which means that they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise view of how the E-P2 grades against the S1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P2 & Pentax Optio S1. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P2 Gallery & Pentax S1 Gallery.

If you're intending to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P2 offers outside measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") along with a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Pentax S1 has dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-P2 versus Pentax S1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at the time. The following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-P2 compared to the S1.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the E-P2 and S1 is 86 and 93 respectively.

Generally, its hard to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by checking out specs. The pic below might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-P2 and S1.

All in all, both of these cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-P2 with its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Pentax S1 will provide extra detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The more aged E-P2 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.