Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic S2

Let's look closer at the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic S2, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the PEN-F (20MP) and S2 (14MP) and the PEN-F (Four Thirds) and S2 (1/2.3") possess different sensor size.

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The PEN-F was introduced 4 years later than the S2 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus PEN-F being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S2 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a full comparison, below is a short highlight of how the PEN-F matches up vs the S2 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic Lumix DMC-S2. The whole galleries are available at Olympus PEN-F Gallery and Panasonic S2 Gallery.

If you're planning to lug around your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus PEN-F offers outer measurements of 125mm x 72mm x 37mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.5") having a weight of 427 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Panasonic S2 has proportions of 98mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 112 grams (0.25 lbs).

Compare the Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic S2 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the PEN-F vs the S2.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the PEN-F and S2 is 84 and 96 respectively.

Generally, it's difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through specifications. The visual underneath may give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the PEN-F and S2.

Plainly, both the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The PEN-F using its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus PEN-F will show extra detail using its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The fresher PEN-F provides an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.