Olympus E-M10 IV vs Panasonic S1 Comparison

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Olympus E-M10 IV

20 MP | Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Panasonic S1

24 MP | Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Olympus E-M10 IV vs Panasonic S1 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing E-M10 IV and S1, two Mirrorless cameras from Olympus and Panasonic. Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV is a Entry-Level Mirrorless class camera and Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 is a Pro Mirrorless class camera.

Olympus E-M10 IV was introduced to market in August 2020 and Panasonic S1 was launched in February 2019. There is 18 months difference between E-M10 IV and S1 so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger E-M10 IV, especially in sensor tech.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Olympus E-M10 IV Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2020-08-04

20MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 25600

Micro Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Tilting Screen

2360k dot Electronic viewfinder

15.0fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

383g. 122 x 84 x 49 mm

Replaced Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III Compare

Panasonic S1 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2019-02-01

24MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter

ISO 100 - 51200 ( expands to 50-204800)

Leica L Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3.2" Tilting Screen

5760k dot Electronic viewfinder

9.0fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

1021g. 149 x 110 x 97 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV over Panasonic Lumix DC-S1

Live Composite Mode	Yes vs No	Excellent help for long-exposure photography
Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Max Elect. Shutter	1/16000s vs 1/8000s	faster electronic shutter
Continuous Shooting	15.0fps vs 9.0fps	6 fps faster
Weight	383 g vs 1021 g	638 g lighter
AE Bracketing Range	±5 EV vs ±3 EV	Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR

Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 over Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV

Viewfinder Magnification	0.78x vs 0.62x	Larger Viewfinder
Max Sensor Resolution	24 MP vs 20 MP	19% more pixels
Max ISO	51.200 vs 25.600	100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	225 vs 121	104 more focus points
LCD Screen Size	3.2" vs 3"	0.2 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	2.100k dots vs 1.040k dots	101% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Battery Life	380 shots vs 360 shots	20 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Viewfinder Resolution	5760k dot vs 2360k dot	144% higher resolution
Sensor Pixel Area	35.30µm² vs 11.22µm²	214% larger pixel area
Top LCD	Yes vs No	Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode	Yes (96.0MP) vs No	Increased resolution with pixel shift
4K Photo Mode	Yes vs No	Extract 8MP photos from 4K Video
Focus Stacking	Yes vs No	Stacks photos in-camera to maximize depth of field
Post Focus Mode	Yes vs No	Change focus point after taking a shot
Illuminated Buttons	Yes vs No	Find the buttons easily in dark
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
Max Video Bit rate	150mbps vs 102mbps	Higher bit rate for better video quality
Anti Flicker	Yes vs No	Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light

Common Strengths of Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV and Panasonic Lumix DC-S1

Wireless Connection	Yes vs Yes	Better connectivity
Bluetooth Connection	Yes vs Yes	Connect to other devices via Bluetooth
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Adjustable LCD Screen	Tilting vs Tilting	Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Touch Screen	Yes vs Yes	Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder	Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Electronic)	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Max Resolution	20 MP vs 24 MP	Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 3.2"	Large display
LCD Screen Resolution	1.040k dots vs 2.100k dots	High resolution screens
Continuous Shooting	8.7fps vs 9.0fps	Fast shooting speeds
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs Yes	creative shooting
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Focus Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs Yes	Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Video Bit rates	102mbps vs 150mbps	High Video quality
UHS Card Support	UHS-II vs UHS-II	Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds

Common Weaknesses of Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV and Panasonic Lumix DC-S1

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Panasonic S1: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Olympus E-M10 IV has external dimensions of 122 x 84 x 49 mm (4.8 x 3.31 x 1.93″) and weighs 383 g (0.84 lb / 13.51 oz) (including batteries). Panasonic S1 has external dimensions of 149 x 110 x 97 mm (5.87 x 4.33 x 3.82″) and weighs 1021 g (2.25 lb) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1. Olympus E-M10 IV is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 27mm narrower, 26mm shorter and 48mm thinner than Panasonic S1.

Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1.

Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1.

Top View Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus E-M10 IV is significantly lighter (638g ) than the Panasonic S1 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Panasonic S1 has a Full frame sensor and Olympus E-M10 IV has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-M10 IV's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Panasonic S1 lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

E-M10 IV

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

E-M10 IV

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of S1, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to E-M10 IV.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Panasonic S1's 3.2" LCD screen is slightly larger than Olympus E-M10 IV's 3" screen.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Panasonic S1: Sensor Comparison

Olympus E-M10 IV has a 20.0MP Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic VIII processor. On the other hand, Panasonic S1 has a 24.0MP Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine processor.

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Panasonic S1's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the E-M10 IV and S1 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1 Cameras

As seen above, Panasonic S1 has a 3.7x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-M10 IV. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Panasonic S1 Comparison of Available Lenses

Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Olympus E-M10 IV has an advantage over Panasonic S1. There are 108 lenses for Olympus E-M10 IV's Micro Four Thirds mount, on the other hand there are only 42 lenses for Panasonic S1's Leica L lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Both Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1 has Sensor based Image stabilization which means that all the lenses will be stabilized in these bodies. E-M10 IV's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 4.5-stops according to CIPA standards whereas S1's IS system is rated upto 6.5-stops.

Lens Type	# of Olympus E-M10 IV Lenses	# of Panasonic S1 Lenses
Standard Zoom	15	6 (6 Full Frame)
Standard Prime	13	9 (8 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom	6	3 (3 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime	29	11 (11 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom	18	5 (5 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime	9	6 (6 Full Frame)
SuperZoom	8	n/a
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	5	n/a
Macro Prime	4	1 (1 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	1	n/a
TOTAL	108	42 (40 Full Frame)

Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Olympus ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO	24 - 80mm	382gr	765gr	84mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Panasonic S Pro 24-70mm F2.8	24 - 70mm	935gr	1956gr	140mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Olympus ED 35-100mm f2.0	70 - 200mm	1650gr	2033gr	214mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Panasonic S Pro 70-200 F2.8 O.I.S.	70 - 200mm	1570gr	2591gr	209mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Olympus M 25mm F1.8	50mm	136gr	519gr	41mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Panasonic S Pro 50mm F1.4	50mm	955gr	1976gr	130mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Olympus ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO	14 - 28mm	534gr	917gr	106mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art	14 - 24mm	795gr	1816gr	131mm	Amazon B&H Photo

24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Olympus ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD	24 - 120mm	575gr	958gr	99mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Panasonic S 24-105mm F4 Macro OIS	24 - 105mm	680gr	1701gr	118mm	Amazon B&H Photo

Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses

Model		FF Equiv.	Weight	Weight w/ Cam	Length	Street Price
	Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC 1.25x IS	300mm	1850gr	2233gr	mm	Amazon B&H Photo
	Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS	100 - 400mm	1135gr	2156gr	197mm	Amazon B&H Photo

What types of Photography are Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Olympus E-M10 IV for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Panasonic S1 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Panasonic S1 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Sports Photography

GOOD

Panasonic S1 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.7fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
121 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 9.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
225 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Anti Flicker feature
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Daily Photography

GOOD

Panasonic S1 for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
383g
Body Thickness 49mm
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Anti Flicker feature
Medium size Body
1021g
Body Thickness 97mm
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Panasonic S1 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Large Four Thirds (17.4 x 13 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Olympus E-M10 IV vs Panasonic S1: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Olympus E-M10 IV and Panasonic S1 scores compare:

Olympus E-M10 IV

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #68 out of 90 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #145 out of 1230 in all Cameras

Panasonic S1

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #19 out of 90 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #21 out of 1230 in all Cameras

Panasonic S1 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Olympus E-M10 IV in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Olympus E-M10 IV. Otherwise, Panasonic S1 is the better camera overall.

Panasonic S1 vs Olympus E-M10 IV Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Olympus OM-D E-M10 IV	Panasonic Lumix DC-S1
Brand	Olympus	Panasonic
Announced	2020-08-04	2019-02-01
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	Four Thirds	Full frame
Dimensions	17.4 x 13 mm	35.6 x 23.8 mm
Area	226.20mm²	847.28mm²
Megapixels	20 megapixels	24 megapixels
Max Resolution	5184 x 3888	6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity	25,600 ISO	51,200 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	25600 ISO	204800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	200 ISO	100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	100 ISO	50 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	121	225
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Micro Four Thirds	Leica L
Number of Available Lenses	108	42
Screen
Type	Tilting	Tilting
Size	3"	3.2"
Resolution	1,040k dots	2,100k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	2,360k dots	5,760k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.62x	0.78x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/8000s
Max Electronic Shutter	1/16000s	1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	7.20 m (at ISO 200)	no built-in flash
Max Flash Sync	1/250s	1/320s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	8.7 fps	9.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	3840 x 2160
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264	MPEG-4, H.264, H.265
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	383g	1021g
Dimensions	122 x 84 x 49mm	149 x 110 x 97mm
Battery Life	360 shots	380 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	95
DxO Color Depth	not tested	25.2
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	14.5
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	3333
	Report a correction	Report a correction