Size and weight are big decision factors when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, we are going to illustrate the Olympus E-5 and Nikon S31 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Olympus E-5 has external dimensions of 143 x 117 x 75 mm (5.63 x 4.61 x 2.95″) and weighs 800 g (1.76 lb / 28.22 oz) (including batteries). Nikon S31 has external dimensions of 105 x 65 x 42 mm (4.13 x 2.56 x 1.65″) and weighs 185 g (0.41 lb / 6.53 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front-view size comparison of the Olympus E-5 and the Nikon S31. Nikon S31 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 38mm narrower, 52mm shorter and 33mm thinner than Olympus E-5. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon S31 has a built-in lens but Olympus E-5 doesn't. Once you put a lens on E-5, its thickness will increase significantly.
Here is the back view size comparison of the Olympus E-5 and Nikon S31.
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus E-5 and Nikon S31.
Weight is another important factor, especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Nikon S31 is significantly lighter (615g ) than the Olympus E-5 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on E-5, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
LCD Screen Size and Features
Olympus E-5's 3.00" LCD screen is slightly larger than Nikon S31's 2.7" screen.
Moreover, Olympus E-5 sports a
Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over-the-head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. On the other hand, Nikon S31 has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to E-5.