Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax K-01
89 Imaging
37 Features
36 Overall
36
76 Imaging
56 Features
68 Overall
60
Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax K-01 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 1600
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
- 226g - 106 x 69 x 40mm
- Released January 2012
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Pentax KAF2 Mount
- 561g - 122 x 79 x 58mm
- Introduced May 2012
Photography Glossary Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax K-01 Overview
On this page, we will be matching up the Olympus SZ-12 versus Pentax K-01, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the SZ-12 (14MP) and the K-01 (16MP) is pretty well matched but the SZ-12 (1/2.3") and K-01 (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created ImagesThe SZ-12 was brought out 4 months earlier than the K-01 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-01 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before going straight to a detailed comparison, here is a simple overview of how the SZ-12 grades versus the K-01 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax K-01 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus SZ-12 & Pentax K-01. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery & Pentax K-01 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-12 over the Pentax K-01
| SZ-12 | K-01 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Pentax K-01 over the Olympus SZ-12
| K-01 | SZ-12 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus | More exact focusing | |||
| Screen resolution | 921k | 460k | Crisper screen (+461k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus SZ-12 and Pentax K-01
| SZ-12 | K-01 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | January 2012 | May 2012 | Similar age | |
| Screen type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed screen | |
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal screen sizing | |
| Selfie screen | Neither offers selfie screen | |||
| Touch screen | Absent Touch screen |
Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax K-01 Physical Comparison
For those who are aiming to lug around your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-12 offers outside dimensions of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) and the Pentax K-01 has specifications of 122mm x 79mm x 58mm (4.8" x 3.1" x 2.3") having a weight of 561 grams (1.24 lbs).
Examine the Olympus SZ-12 versus Pentax K-01 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the SZ-12 compared to the K-01.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-12 and K-01 is 89 and 76 respectively.
Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax K-01 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, it is very tough to picture the contrast between sensor measurements simply by reading through technical specs. The photograph below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-12 and K-01.
As you have seen, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SZ-12 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Pentax K-01 will give extra detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively.
Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax K-01 Screen and ViewFinder
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Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax K-01 Specifications
| Olympus SZ-12 | Pentax K-01 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Olympus | Pentax |
| Model | Olympus SZ-12 | Pentax K-01 |
| Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
| Released | 2012-01-10 | 2012-05-30 |
| Physical type | Compact | SLR-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Sensor type | CCD | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
| Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.7 x 15.7mm |
| Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 372.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 14 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | - | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Max resolution | 4288 x 3216 | 4928 x 3264 |
| Max native ISO | 1600 | 12800 |
| Max enhanced ISO | - | 25600 |
| Lowest native ISO | 80 | 100 |
| RAW format | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch to focus | ||
| AF continuous | ||
| AF single | ||
| AF tracking | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| Multi area AF | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detect AF | ||
| Contract detect AF | ||
| Phase detect AF | ||
| Number of focus points | - | 81 |
| Cross focus points | - | - |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mounting type | fixed lens | Pentax KAF2 |
| Lens focal range | 25-600mm (24.0x) | - |
| Largest aperture | f/3.0-6.9 | - |
| Amount of lenses | - | 151 |
| Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of display | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Display sizing | 3 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of display | 460 thousand dots | 921 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch screen | ||
| Display technology | TFT Color LCD | TFT LCD monitor |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder type | None | None |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 4 secs | 30 secs |
| Max shutter speed | 1/1700 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Continuous shutter rate | 1.0 frames/s | 6.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash range | - | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) |
| Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow-speed Sync, Trailing Curtain Sync |
| External flash | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Max flash synchronize | - | 1/180 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Supported video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) | 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps),1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25, 24 fps) |
| Max video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
| Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Mic port | ||
| Headphone port | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental sealing | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 226g (0.50 lbs) | 561g (1.24 lbs) |
| Physical dimensions | 106 x 69 x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") | 122 x 79 x 58mm (4.8" x 3.1" x 2.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall score | not tested | 79 |
| DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 23.7 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 12.9 |
| DXO Low light score | not tested | 1135 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 220 images | 540 images |
| Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | LI-50B | D-LI90 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) | Yes (2 or 12 sec) |
| Time lapse shooting | ||
| Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Card slots | One | One |
| Retail pricing | $350 | $899 |