Olympus E-5 vs Pentax RZ10

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-5 vs Pentax RZ10, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the E-5 (12MP) and the RZ10 (14MP) is relatively similar but the E-5 (Four Thirds) and RZ10 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizes.

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The E-5 was unveiled 5 months prior to the RZ10 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax RZ10 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a short summary of how the E-5 grades vs the RZ10 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-5 & Pentax Optio RZ10. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-5 Gallery & Pentax RZ10 Gallery.

If you're looking to carry your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-5 features outside dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Pentax RZ10 has dimensions of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-5 vs Pentax RZ10 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have chosen at the time. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-5 vs the RZ10.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-5 and RZ10 is 58 and 92 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is difficult to picture the gap between sensor sizing merely by reading specifications. The graphic below might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-5 and RZ10.

To sum up, both of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-5 with its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Pentax RZ10 will offer you more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively.