Panasonic S1 vs Pentax K-01

The following is a thorough review of the Panasonic S1 versus Pentax K-01, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Panasonic and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the S1 (12MP) and K-01 (16MP) and the S1 (1/2.3") and K-01 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The S1 was unveiled 17 months earlier than the K-01 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic S1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-01 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a thorough comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the S1 scores vs the K-01 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-S1 and Pentax K-01. The full galleries are available at Panasonic S1 Gallery and Pentax K-01 Gallery.

For those who are intending to travel with your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic S1 has got outside dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs) and the Pentax K-01 has measurements of 122mm x 79mm x 58mm (4.8" x 3.1" x 2.3") with a weight of 561 grams (1.24 lbs).

See the Panasonic S1 versus Pentax K-01 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you select at the time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the S1 and the K-01.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the S1 and K-01 is 96 and 76 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions just by looking at specs. The pic here will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the S1 and K-01.

All in all, both the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The S1 with its tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh more difficult and the Pentax K-01 will give extra detail having an extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged S1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.