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Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax Q-S1

Portability
90
Imaging
37
Features
36
Overall
36
Olympus SZ-10 front
 
Pentax Q-S1 front
Portability
92
Imaging
38
Features
54
Overall
44

Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax Q-S1 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-10
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-504mm (F3.1-4.4) lens
  • 215g - 106 x 67 x 38mm
  • Introduced February 2011
Pentax Q-S1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax Q Mount
  • 203g - 105 x 58 x 34mm
  • Launched August 2014
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Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax Q-S1 Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus SZ-10 and Pentax Q-S1, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the SZ-10 (14MP) and the Q-S1 (12MP) is fairly well matched but the SZ-10 (1/2.3") and Q-S1 (1/1.7") enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The SZ-10 was introduced 4 years before the Q-S1 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Pentax Q-S1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief overview of how the SZ-10 matches up versus the Q-S1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-10 over the Pentax Q-S1

 SZ-10 Q-S1 

Reasons to pick Pentax Q-S1 over the Olympus SZ-10

 Q-S1 SZ-10 
LaunchedAugust 2014February 2011More recent by 42 months
Focus manually More exact focus

Common features in the Olympus SZ-10 and Pentax Q-S1

 SZ-10 Q-S1 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display size
Display resolution460k460kSame display resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax Q-S1 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-10 comes with external 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 Q-S1 has specifications of 105mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") having a weight of 203 grams (0.45 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SZ-10 and Pentax Q-S1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the SZ-10 vs the Q-S1.

Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax Q-S1 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-10 and Q-S1 is 90 and 92 respectively.

Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax Q-S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax Q-S1 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its hard to visualise the difference between sensor measurements merely by looking at specs. The visual underneath might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-10 and Q-S1.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SZ-10 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Olympus SZ-10 will give more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older SZ-10 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax Q-S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax Q-S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax Q-S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-10 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax Q-S1 as a Portrait photography camera
33
MP count good (14 megapixels)
comes with face detection focusing
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
46
has manual focus
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
low resolution (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-10 as a Street photography camera
Pentax Q-S1 as a Street photography camera
60
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average (215g)
screen is fixed
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
69
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competition (203g)
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/1.7")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-10 Sports photography factors
Pentax Q-S1 Sports photography factors
40
excellent zoom range (28-504mm 18.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
low battery life (220 shots)
has no phase detect AF
37
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
low resolution (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/1.7")
not so great battery life (250 shots)
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SZ-10
Travel photography with Pentax Q-S1
65
lighter than average (215g)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
decently wide (28mm)
very long reach (504mm)
no Timelapse function
low battery life (220 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
60
lighter than competition (203g)
built-in flash
not so great battery life (250 CIPA)
low resolution (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-10 Landscape photography details
Pentax Q-S1 Landscape photography details
40
decently wide (28mm)
good sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
low battery life (220 CIPA)
no Timelapse function
55
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax Q mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
delivers RAW files
low resolution (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/1.7")
not so great battery life (250 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-10 Vlogging features
Pentax Q-S1 Vlogging features
31
decently wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focusing
lighter than average (215 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.1)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone socket
35
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (203 grams)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have external mic jack
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Olympus SZ-10 vs Pentax Q-S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-10 and Pentax Q-S1
 Olympus SZ-10Pentax Q-S1
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus SZ-10 Pentax Q-S1
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2011-02-08 2014-08-04
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic III+ Q Engine
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/1.7"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4288 x 3216 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 1600 12800
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax Q
Lens focal range 28-504mm (18.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.1-4.4 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 8
Focal length multiplier 5.8 4.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames per sec 5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 7.10 m 4.90 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15fps) 1920 x 1080 (30,25, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30, 25, 24p), 640 x 480 (30, 25, 24p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 215g (0.47 pounds) 203g (0.45 pounds)
Dimensions 106 x 67 x 38mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.5") 105 x 58 x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 220 photos 250 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $300 $250