Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax K-5 II

Below is a extensive analysis of the Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax K-5 II, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the SZ-10 (14MP) and the K-5 II (16MP) is pretty similar but the SZ-10 (1/2.3") and K-5 II (APS-C) offer different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-10 was unveiled 3 years prior to the K-5 II and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the SZ-10 grades against the K-5 II with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-10 and Pentax K-5 II. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-10 Gallery and Pentax K-5 II Gallery.

In case you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-10 features outside dimensions of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 II has dimensions of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax K-5 II in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the SZ-10 against the K-5 II.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-10 and K-5 II is 90 and 60 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to visualize the difference between sensor measurements simply by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual here might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-10 and K-5 II.

Clearly, each of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SZ-10 using its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-5 II will offer you greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older SZ-10 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.