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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax S1

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
43
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-PL1s front
 
Pentax Optio S1 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax S1 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL1s
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 334g - 115 x 72 x 42mm
  • Released November 2010
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL1
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL2
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
  • Launched March 2011
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax S1 Overview

Following is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus E-PL1s versus Pentax S1, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the E-PL1s (12MP) and the S1 (14MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL1s was brought out 3 months earlier than the S1 and they are of a similar generation. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL1s being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a short view of how the E-PL1s matches up against the S1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL1s over the Pentax S1

 E-PL1s S1 

Reasons to pick Pentax S1 over the Olympus E-PL1s

 S1 E-PL1s 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax S1

 E-PL1s S1 
LaunchedNovember 2010March 2011Similar generation
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size2.7"2.7"Same display measurements
Display resolution230k230kEqual display resolution
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch display Neither has Touch display

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax S1 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL1s has outer dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Pentax S1 has specifications of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL1s versus Pentax S1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PL1s compared to the S1.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax S1 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL1s and S1 is 86 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax S1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizes merely by reading technical specs. The pic below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL1s and S1.

As you have seen, the two cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL1s featuring a larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Pentax S1 will deliver more detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos way more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL1s
Portrait photography with Pentax S1
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
35
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
no manual mode
can't use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Street photography camera
Pentax S1 as a Street photography camera
74
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
no moving screen
56
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Sports photography information
Pentax S1 Sports photography information
44
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has tracking focus
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery life (290 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
39
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
features tracking focus
low fps (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s as a Travel photography camera
Pentax S1 as a Travel photography camera
51
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
terrible battery life (290 per charge)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not contain selfie friendly display
64
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL1s
Landscape photography with Pentax S1
55
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7")
sensor resolution low (12MP)
terrible battery life (290 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse function
42
has manual focus
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no manual mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL1s Vlogging info
Pentax S1 Vlogging info
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
does not contain selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have mic jack
28
rather wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have mic support
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Olympus E-PL1s vs Pentax S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL1s and Pentax S1
 Olympus PEN E-PL1sPentax Optio S1
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL1s Pentax Optio S1
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2010-11-16 2011-03-02
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7" 2.7"
Screen resolution 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR (Anti-Reflective) coating TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 4s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1500s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m 3.90 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (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)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video file format 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 334 gr (0.74 lb) 157 gr (0.35 lb)
Physical dimensions 115 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 290 photos 260 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-1 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Launch cost $599 $174