Olympus E-PM1 has a
12.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic VI processor. On the other hand, Nikon 1 S1 has a
10.0MP 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the E-PM1 and 1 S1 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus E-PM1 and Nikon 1 S1 Cameras
As seen above, Olympus E-PM1 has a 1.9x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 S1. 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.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Olympus E-PM1 and Nikon 1 S1 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that 1 S1 has a better overall score of 56, 4 points higher compared to E-PM1's score of 52.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Olympus E-PM1
52
21.0 bits
10.3 Evs
499 ISO
Nikon 1 S1
56
21.4 bits
11.1 Evs
397 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Olympus E-PM1
or the
Nikon 1 S1 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Four Thirds versus 1-inch),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
