Olympus SZ-11 vs Pentax K-r

The following is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus SZ-11 versus Pentax K-r, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the SZ-11 (14MP) and the K-r (12MP) is pretty close but the SZ-11 (1/2.3") and K-r (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-11 was manufactured 5 months after the K-r so they are of a similar generation. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-11 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-r being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the SZ-11 scores versus the K-r for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-11 and Pentax K-r. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-11 Gallery and Pentax K-r Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to think about its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-11 comes with external measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Pentax K-r has specifications of 125mm x 97mm x 68mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.7") with a weight of 598 grams (1.32 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-11 versus Pentax K-r in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at that moment. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the SZ-11 against the K-r.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-11 and K-r is 89 and 67 respectively.

Usually, it's hard to picture the gap in sensor dimensions just by looking through technical specs. The pic underneath will offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-11 and K-r.

As you can tell, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-11 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF harder and the Olympus SZ-11 will render extra detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively.