Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax K-500

The following is a thorough assessment of the Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax K-500, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the SZ-11 (14MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is relatively close but the SZ-11 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The SZ-11 was revealed 3 years before the K-500 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go into a more detailed comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the SZ-11 grades against the K-500 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SZ-11 & Pentax K-500. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-11 Gallery & Pentax K-500 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-11 provides physical dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Pentax K-500 has specifications of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax K-500 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the SZ-11 compared to the K-500.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-11 and K-500 is 89 and 64 respectively.

Usually, it is difficult to see the contrast in sensor dimensions only by viewing specs. The image underneath might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-11 and K-500.

All in all, each of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-11 having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-500 will render more detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged SZ-11 will be behind in sensor tech.