Olympus SP-600 UZ vs Pentax RZ18

Lets look more closely at the Olympus SP-600 UZ and Pentax RZ18, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the SP-600 UZ (12MP) and RZ18 (16MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SP-600 UZ was brought out 19 months before the RZ18 making them a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting right into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple summation of how the SP-600 UZ matches up against the RZ18 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SP-600 UZ and Pentax Optio RZ18. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SP-600 UZ Gallery and Pentax RZ18 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus SP-600 UZ features external measurements of 110mm x 90mm x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") accompanied by a weight of 455 grams (1.00 lbs) and the Pentax RZ18 has specifications of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

See the Olympus SP-600 UZ and Pentax RZ18 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the SP-600 UZ versus the RZ18.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SP-600 UZ and RZ18 is 69 and 92 respectively.

Normally, its tough to picture the contrast between sensor sizing simply by looking at technical specs. The visual here will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the SP-600 UZ and RZ18.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions but different megapixels. You should expect to see the Pentax RZ18 to give greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older SP-600 UZ is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.