Olympus FE-4000 vs Pentax K20D

The following is a extensive assessment of the Olympus FE-4000 versus Pentax K20D, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the FE-4000 (12MP) and the K20D (15MP) is fairly comparable but the FE-4000 (1/2.3") and K20D (APS-C) feature different sensor dimensions.

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The FE-4000 was released 14 months after the K20D making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus FE-4000 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K20D being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the FE-4000 scores vs the K20D when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus FE-4000 and Pentax K20D. The complete galleries are available at Olympus FE-4000 Gallery and Pentax K20D Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to travel with your camera often, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus FE-4000 has external dimensions of 95mm x 57mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) while the Pentax K20D has specifications of 142mm x 101mm x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

See the Olympus FE-4000 versus Pentax K20D in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the FE-4000 vs the K20D.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the FE-4000 and K20D is 95 and 59 respectively.

Often, it's hard to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions merely by checking out specs. The pic underneath might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-4000 and K20D.

All in all, both cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The FE-4000 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Pentax K20D will produce greater detail as a result of its extra 3MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images a little more aggressively. The newer FE-4000 should have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.