Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax K-S1

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax K-S1, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and K-S1 (20MP) and the SZ-12 (1/2.3") and K-S1 (APS-C) come with different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-12 was introduced 3 years earlier than the K-S1 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-S1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a simple synopsis of how the SZ-12 scores vs the K-S1 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-12 & Pentax K-S1. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery & Pentax K-S1 Gallery.

In case you're looking to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-12 provides outside measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Pentax K-S1 has proportions of 121mm x 93mm x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 558 grams (1.23 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax K-S1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the SZ-12 compared to the K-S1.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-12 and K-S1 is 89 and 69 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to visualize the gap between sensor measurements only by checking specs. The photograph here will provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-12 and K-S1.

All in all, the 2 cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SZ-12 having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF harder and the Pentax K-S1 will resolve more detail using its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older SZ-12 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.