Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic S1
86 Imaging
54 Features
76 Overall
62
96 Imaging
35 Features
21 Overall
29
Olympus E-PL8 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
- 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
- Revealed September 2016
- Replaced the Olympus E-PL7
- Renewed by Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-112mm (F3.1-5.6) lens
- 117g - 99 x 59 x 21mm
- Released January 2011
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Lets look more in depth at the Olympus E-PL8 versus Panasonic S1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and S1 (12MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and S1 (1/2.3") offer different sensor measurements.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe E-PL8 was introduced 5 years later than the S1 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S1 being a Compact camera.
Before getting straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-PL8 scores versus the S1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
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Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL8 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery & Panasonic S1 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Panasonic S1
| E-PL8 | S1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | September 2016 | January 2011 | Fresher by 70 months | |
| Focus manually | Dial precise focus | |||
| Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display | |
| Display size | 3" | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") | |
| Display resolution | 1037k | 230k | Crisper display (+807k dot) | |
| Touch display | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic S1 over the Olympus E-PL8
| S1 | E-PL8 |
|---|
Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic S1
| E-PL8 | S1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selfie screen | Lack of selfie screen |
Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic S1 Physical Comparison
If you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL8 has got outer measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S1 has proportions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).
See the Olympus E-PL8 versus Panasonic S1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL8 and the S1.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL8 and S1 is 86 and 96 respectively.
Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic S1 Sensor Comparison
Typically, it is difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by seeing technical specs. The graphic here may give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL8 and S1.
As you can tell, both the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PL8 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-PL8 will provide greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The newer E-PL8 should have an edge in sensor tech.
Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic S1 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic S1 Specifications
| Olympus PEN E-PL8 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Manufacturer | Olympus | Panasonic |
| Model | Olympus PEN E-PL8 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 |
| Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Compact |
| Revealed | 2016-09-19 | 2011-01-05 |
| Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | TruePic VII | 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 megapixel | 12 megapixel |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest Possible resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4000 x 3000 |
| Maximum native ISO | 25600 | 6400 |
| Minimum native ISO | 200 | 100 |
| RAW images | ||
| Minimum enhanced ISO | 100 | - |
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| AF single | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detection focusing | ||
| Contract detection focusing | ||
| Phase detection focusing | ||
| Number of focus points | 81 | 11 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
| Lens focal range | - | 28-112mm (4.0x) |
| Max aperture | - | f/3.1-5.6 |
| Macro focus distance | - | 5cm |
| Number of lenses | 107 | - |
| Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.9 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of screen | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Screen diagonal | 3" | 2.7" |
| Resolution of screen | 1,037k dots | 230k dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch function | ||
| Screen technology | - | TFT LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic (optional) | None |
| Features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 60 secs | 8 secs |
| Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/1600 secs |
| Continuous shutter rate | 8.0fps | - |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Change WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash range | no built-in flash | 3.30 m |
| Flash settings | no built-in flash | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AEB | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) |
| Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
| Video data format | H.264, Motion JPEG | Motion JPEG |
| Mic support | ||
| Headphone support | ||
| 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 | ||
| Environment sealing | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 357 gr (0.79 lb) | 117 gr (0.26 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") | 99 x 59 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall score | not tested | not tested |
| DXO Color Depth score | not tested | not tested |
| DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | not tested |
| DXO Low light score | not tested | not tested |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 350 images | 240 images |
| Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC card | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
| Card slots | 1 | 1 |
| Cost at release | $500 | $269 |