Olympus FE-45 vs Pentax K-7

Below is a extensive assessment of the Olympus FE-45 and Pentax K-7, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizeable difference between the image resolutions of the FE-45 (10MP) and K-7 (15MP) and the FE-45 (1/2.3") and K-7 (APS-C) offer different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The FE-45 was brought out 8 months before the K-7 so they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus FE-45 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-7 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go into a full comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the FE-45 matches up vs the K-7 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus FE-45 and Pentax K-7. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus FE-45 Gallery and Pentax K-7 Gallery.

For those who are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus FE-45 offers external dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 23mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") along with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) while the Pentax K-7 has measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 750 grams (1.65 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus FE-45 and Pentax K-7 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you use at that time. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the FE-45 compared to the K-7.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the FE-45 and K-7 is 95 and 60 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is very hard to picture the difference between sensor measurements just by reading through specifications. The visual underneath will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-45 and K-7.

To sum up, both cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FE-45 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh more difficult and the Pentax K-7 will resolve greater detail having its extra 5MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The older FE-45 is going to be behind in sensor technology.