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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic XS1

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1 front
Portability
97
Imaging
40
Features
26
Overall
34

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic XS1 Key Specs

Olympus E-PM1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 265g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Released November 2011
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PM2
Panasonic XS1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.8-6.9) lens
  • 103g - 94 x 54 x 14mm
  • Launched January 2013
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic XS1 Overview

Here is a extensive comparison of the Olympus E-PM1 versus Panasonic XS1, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and XS1 (16MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and XS1 (1/2.3") offer different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PM1 was manufactured 13 months prior to the XS1 which makes them a generation apart from one another. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic XS1 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-PM1 grades vs the XS1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Panasonic XS1

 E-PM1 XS1 
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic XS1 over the Olympus E-PM1

 XS1 E-PM1 
LaunchedJanuary 2013November 2011Fresher by 13 months

Common features in the Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic XS1

 E-PM1 XS1 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic XS1 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PM1 has got outside measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) while the Panasonic XS1 has dimensions of 94mm x 54mm x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6") accompanied by a weight of 103 grams (0.23 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PM1 versus Panasonic XS1 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PM1 and the XS1.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic XS1 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PM1 and XS1 is 89 and 97 respectively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic XS1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic XS1 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it can be difficult to picture the contrast in sensor sizing purely by looking through technical specs. The graphic below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PM1 and XS1.

As you can tell, both cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-PM1 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Panasonic XS1 will result in extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older E-PM1 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic XS1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic XS1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Portrait photography factors
Panasonic XS1 Portrait photography factors
60
you can focus manually
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
30
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic XS1 as a Street photography camera
75
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
fixed screen
64
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (103 grams)
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Sports photography features
Panasonic XS1 Sports photography features
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
slow frames per second (6.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
does not have phase detect autofocus
41
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Travel photography highlights
Panasonic XS1 Travel photography highlights
45
no Time Lapse recording
megapixel count low (12MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
69
lighter than average in class (103g)
resolution is good (16MP)
has built in flash
quite wide (24mm)
lack of Timelapse function
does not feature selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Landscape photography details
Panasonic XS1 Landscape photography details
65
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
no Time Lapse recording
39
quite wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
small screen (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PM1
Vlogging with Panasonic XS1
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
no mic port
31
quite wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (103 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not feature selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external microphone jack
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic XS1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic XS1
 Olympus PEN E-PM1Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PM1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-XS1
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2011-11-23 2013-01-07
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 -
Max resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 12800 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 35 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-6.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Display resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 60s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 6.0 frames per second 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format AVCHD, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 265 grams (0.58 pounds) 103 grams (0.23 pounds)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 94 x 54 x 14mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photos 260 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $499 $130