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Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax MX-1

Portability
69
Imaging
37
Features
35
Overall
36
Olympus SP-800 UZ front
 
Pentax MX-1 front
Portability
84
Imaging
37
Features
60
Overall
46

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax MX-1 Key Specs

Olympus SP-800 UZ
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 3200 (Boost to 1000)
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-840mm (F2.8-5.6) lens
  • 455g - 110 x 90 x 91mm
  • Announced February 2010
  • Replacement is Olympus SP-810 UZ
Pentax MX-1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 391g - 122 x 61 x 51mm
  • Released July 2013
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Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax MX-1 Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus SP-800 UZ versus Pentax MX-1, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the SP-800 UZ (14MP) and the MX-1 (12MP) is relatively similar but the SP-800 UZ (1/2.3") and MX-1 (1/1.7") come with totally different sensor size.

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The SP-800 UZ was launched 4 years earlier than the MX-1 which is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving in to a in-depth comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the SP-800 UZ matches up against the MX-1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SP-800 UZ over the Pentax MX-1

 SP-800 UZ MX-1 

Reasons to pick Pentax MX-1 over the Olympus SP-800 UZ

 MX-1 SP-800 UZ 
ReleasedJuly 2013February 2010More modern by 41 months
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution920k230kClearer screen (+690k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SP-800 UZ and Pentax MX-1

 SP-800 UZ MX-1 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax MX-1 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SP-800 UZ offers exterior 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) whilst the Pentax MX-1 has specifications of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") with a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs).

Compare the Olympus SP-800 UZ versus Pentax MX-1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are utilising during that time. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the SP-800 UZ against the MX-1.

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax MX-1 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the SP-800 UZ and MX-1 is 69 and 84 respectively.

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax MX-1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax MX-1 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it can be tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizes purely by going over specifications. The picture underneath should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the SP-800 UZ and MX-1.

To sum up, each of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The SP-800 UZ because of its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Olympus SP-800 UZ will offer extra detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged SP-800 UZ is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax MX-1 sensor size comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax MX-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax MX-1 as a Portrait photography camera
28
good resolution (14MP)
lack of manual focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
42
you can focus manually
features face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
external flash not possible
low resolution sensor (12MP)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ Street photography advice
Pentax MX-1 Street photography advice
46
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
65
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW formats
very small sensor (1/1.7")
more heavy than others (391g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ Sports photography highlights
Pentax MX-1 Sports photography highlights
47
great zoom range (28-840mm 30.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14MP)
has tracking focus
no shutter priority
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
43
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features tracking autofocus
great battery life (290 CIPA)
slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ Travel photography factors
Pentax MX-1 Travel photography factors
61
good resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
quite wide (28mm)
very long zoom (840mm)
does not contain selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
61
great battery life (290 shots)
built-in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
more heavy than others (391g)
low resolution sensor (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SP-800 UZ
Landscape photography with Pentax MX-1
41
quite wide (28mm)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
55
you can focus manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW formats
great battery life (290 shots)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SP-800 UZ as a Vlogging camera
Pentax MX-1 as a Vlogging camera
24
quite wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not contain selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no mic jack
33
reasonably wide (28mm)
great maximum aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone support
more heavy than others (391g)
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Olympus SP-800 UZ vs Pentax MX-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SP-800 UZ and Pentax MX-1
 Olympus SP-800 UZPentax MX-1
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus SP-800 UZ Pentax MX-1
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2010-02-02 2013-07-01
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic III -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4288 x 3216 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max enhanced ISO 1000 -
Min native ISO 64 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 143 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-840mm (30.0x) 28-112mm (4.0x)
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.6 f/1.8-2.5
Macro focusing range 1cm 1cm
Crop factor 5.8 4.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech - TFT LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 12s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.10 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Speed sync, Trailing Curtain sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 455g (1.00 lb) 391g (0.86 lb)
Dimensions 110 x 90 x 91mm (4.3" x 3.5" x 3.6") 122 x 61 x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 49
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 20.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 208
Other
Battery life - 290 shots
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID Li-50B D-Li-106
Self timer Yes (12 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $270 $400