Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax K-S2

The following is a extended review of the Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax K-S2, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a huge difference among the image resolutions of the SZ-10 (14MP) and K-S2 (20MP) and the SZ-10 (1/2.3") and K-S2 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor size.

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The SZ-10 was manufactured 5 years prior to the K-S2 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a more detailed comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the SZ-10 matches up versus the K-S2 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-10 and Pentax K-S2. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-10 Gallery and Pentax K-S2 Gallery.

For those who are going to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-10 has outside measurements of 106mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 215 grams (0.47 lbs) while the Pentax K-S2 has measurements of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") along with a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Check the Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax K-S2 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the SZ-10 versus the K-S2.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-10 and K-S2 is 90 and 64 respectively.

In many cases, it can be difficult to see the gap in sensor dimensions only by researching a spec sheet. The image underneath will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-10 and K-S2.

Clearly, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-10 because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-S2 will result in more detail due to its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SZ-10 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.