Olympus 1 vs Panasonic S5

Below is a complete overview of the Olympus 1 and Panasonic S5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the 1 (12MP) and S5 (24MP) and the 1 (1/1.7") and S5 (Full frame) boast different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The 1 was brought out 7 years earlier than the S5 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Panasonic S5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summary of how the 1 matches up vs the S5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 1 & Panasonic Lumix DC-S5. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus 1 Gallery & Panasonic S5 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus 1 has outer measurements of 116mm x 87mm x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") having a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs) while the Panasonic S5 has dimensions of 133mm x 97mm x 82mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") with a weight of 714 grams (1.57 lbs).

Examine the Olympus 1 and Panasonic S5 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the 1 versus the S5.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the 1 and S5 is 79 and 60 respectively.

Usually, its difficult to imagine the difference between sensor measurements just by checking specifications. The photograph underneath might give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the 1 and S5.

To sum up, the 2 cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The 1 due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Panasonic S5 will give more detail having its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The older 1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.