Olympus OM-D E-M1 vs Samsung GX-1S

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and the Samsung GX-1S, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 was introduced in October 2013 and Samsung GX-1S was introduced in January 2006. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Olympus OM-D E-M1 over Samsung GX-1S.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Samsung GX-1S over Olympus OM-D E-M1.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Olympus OM-D E-M1 has a 3.0" Tilting screen with 1,037k dot resolution and Samsung GX-1S has a 2.5" Fixed screen with 210k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Olympus OM-D E-M1 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Olympus OM-D E-M1 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Olympus OM-D E-M1 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,360k dot resolution and Samsung GX-1S has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. Olympus OM-D E-M1 has 100% coverage with 1.48x (0.74x 35mm equivalent) magnification and Samsung GX-1S has 95% coverage with 0.95x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 features a 16.3 megapixel Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor with dimensions of 17.3 x 13 mm and a total area of 224.9 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600. Samsung GX-1S features a 6 megapixel APS-C CCD sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.7 mm and a total area of 246.5 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 3,200.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Olympus OM-D E-M1 is equipped with TruePIC VII processor and can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution. Samsung GX-1S can take pictures up to 3008 x 2008 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 2400 x 1600, 1536 x 1024 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Olympus OM-D E-M1 has Micro Four Thirds lens mount and Samsung GX-1S has Pentax K_AF lens mount. Due to Micro Four Thirds sensor in Olympus OM-D E-M1 its crop factor is equal to 2x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 2. Due to APS-C sensor in Samsung GX-1S its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

In-Body Image Stabilization on Olympus OM-D E-M1

Olympus OM-D E-M1 has a built-in 5-Axis Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Olympus OM-D E-M1

Olympus OM-D E-M1 has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.

Battery

Olympus OM-D E-M1 comes with BLN-1 battery pack with battery life of 350 shots and Samsung GX-1S comes with 4 x AA battery pack.

External Storage Slots

Olympus OM-D E-M1 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. Samsung GX-1S has a single SD/MMC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Olympus OM-D E-M1, and up to 1/4000 sec on Samsung GX-1S. Olympus OM-D E-M1 can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps. Samsung GX-1S can shoot continuously up to 2.8 fps.

Flash

Samsung GX-1S has a built-in flash and also accepts external flash. Olympus OM-D E-M1 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal or Proprietary or Wireless connection. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/320 sec on Olympus OM-D E-M1 and 1/180 sec on Samsung GX-1S.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 body has dimensions of 130 x 94 x 63 mm (5.13 x 3.68 x 2.48") and Samsung GX-1S body has dimensions of 125 x 93 x 66 mm (4.92 x 3.66 x 2.6"). Olympus OM-D E-M1 weighs 497 g (1.10 lb / 17.53 oz) and Samsung GX-1S weighs 605 g (1.33 lb / 21.34 oz).

Olympus OM-D E-M1

Samsung GX-1S

130 mm

94 mm

125 mm

93 mm

94 mm

93 mm

63 mm

66 mm