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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax S1

Portability
86
Imaging
48
Features
60
Overall
52
Olympus PEN E-P3 front
 
Pentax Optio S1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax S1 Key Specs

Olympus E-P3
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 369g - 122 x 69 x 34mm
  • Introduced August 2011
  • Superseded the Olympus E-P2
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-P5
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-P3 vs Pentax S1 Overview

Here, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax S1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-P3 (12MP) and the S1 (14MP) is pretty well matched but the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was manufactured 6 months later than the S1 and they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving into a complete comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-P3 scores versus the S1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P3 over the Pentax S1

 E-P3 S1 
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution614k230kClearer screen (+384k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax S1 over the Olympus E-P3

 S1 E-P3 

Common features in the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax S1

 E-P3 S1 
LaunchedAugust 2011March 2011Similar age
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax S1 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-P3 features exterior measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) while the Pentax S1 has specifications of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-P3 and Pentax S1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using at that time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the E-P3 versus the S1.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax S1 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and S1 is 86 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax S1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is hard to envision the gap between sensor measurements purely by looking at technical specs. The visual below will help give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and S1.

As you can tell, both the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Pentax S1 will give you more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop pictures way more aggressively.

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-P3
Portrait photography with Pentax S1
60
focusing manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has face detect focus
saves RAW files
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
35
you can focus manually
decent MP (14 megapixels)
no manual exposure
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-P3
Street photography with Pentax S1
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
comes with touch focus
no moving screen
56
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P3 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax S1 as a Sports photography camera
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
max fps low (3.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12MP)
lacks phase detect auto focus
39
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Travel photography info
Pentax S1 Travel photography info
60
comes with touch focus
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
64
decent MP (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P3 Landscape photography factors
Pentax S1 Landscape photography factors
65
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
megapixel count low (12MP)
lack of Timelapse function
42
you can focus manually
pretty wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7")
no manual exposure
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-P3
Vlogging with Pentax S1
35
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
lack of microphone socket
28
pretty wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external mic support
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Olympus E-P3 vs Pentax S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P3 and Pentax S1
 Olympus PEN E-P3Pentax Optio S1
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus PEN E-P3 Pentax Optio S1
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-08-17 2011-03-02
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 12800 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 35 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 614k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology 3:2 OLED with Anti-Fingerprint Coating TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1500s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m (@ ISO 200) 3.90 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Wireless, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/180s -
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 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 369 grams (0.81 pounds) 157 grams (0.35 pounds)
Physical dimensions 122 x 69 x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 51 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 20.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.1 not tested
DXO Low light score 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photos 260 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at release $0 $174