Olympus E-510 vs Pentax RZ10

Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-510 and Pentax RZ10, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the E-510 (10MP) and RZ10 (14MP) and the E-510 (Four Thirds) and RZ10 (1/2.3") posses different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-510 was revealed 4 years prior to the RZ10 which is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-510 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax RZ10 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-510 scores vs the RZ10 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-510 & Pentax Optio RZ10. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-510 Gallery & Pentax RZ10 Gallery.

In case you're looking to travel with your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-510 comes with exterior measurements of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs) whilst the Pentax RZ10 has measurements of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-510 and Pentax RZ10 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is a front view measurements comparison of the E-510 and the RZ10.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-510 and RZ10 is 69 and 92 respectively.

More often than not, it is tough to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions just by looking at specifications. The image below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the E-510 and RZ10.

Plainly, each of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-510 with its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF easier and the Pentax RZ10 will resolve more detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images way more aggressively. The more aged E-510 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.