Olympus SZ-12 vs Pentax K200D

Below is a extended review of the Olympus SZ-12 and Pentax K200D, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the SZ-12 (14MP) and K200D (10MP) and the SZ-12 (1/2.3") and K200D (APS-C) have totally different sensor sizing.

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The SZ-12 was manufactured 3 years later than the K200D and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-12 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K200D being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting into a more detailed comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the SZ-12 scores vs the K200D with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SZ-12 & Pentax K200D. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-12 Gallery & Pentax K200D Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-12 comes with physical measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") and a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Pentax K200D has measurements of 134mm x 95mm x 74mm (5.3" x 3.7" x 2.9") having a weight of 690 grams (1.52 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus SZ-12 and Pentax K200D in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at the time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the SZ-12 against the K200D.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the SZ-12 and K200D is 89 and 61 respectively.

Often, it can be hard to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements only by viewing specs. The graphic here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-12 and K200D.

As you can plainly see, both cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SZ-12 featuring a smaller sensor will make shooting bokeh tougher and the Olympus SZ-12 will provide you with more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures more aggressively. The more recent SZ-12 will have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.