Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax 645Z

Following is a in depth assessment of the Olympus SZ-15 versus Pentax 645Z, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Pro DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a significant gap among the resolutions of the SZ-15 (16MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and 645Z (Medium format) provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The SZ-15 was released 9 months earlier than the 645Z which means that they are of a similar generation. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before diving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief view of how the SZ-15 scores versus the 645Z with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SZ-15 and Pentax 645Z. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-15 Gallery and Pentax 645Z Gallery.

For those who are going to carry around your camera regularly, you will have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-15 features outside dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") along with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Pentax 645Z has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") along with a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-15 versus Pentax 645Z in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you select at that time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the SZ-15 compared to the 645Z.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-15 and 645Z is 88 and 49 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizes purely by going through technical specs. The picture here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-15 and 645Z.

As you have seen, both of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The SZ-15 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Pentax 645Z will provide extra detail as a result of its extra 35MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The more aged SZ-15 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.