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Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K-1

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
50
Overall
44
Olympus SZ-15 front
 
Pentax K-1 front
Portability
55
Imaging
76
Features
82
Overall
78

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K-1 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-15
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 23-483mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 250g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Announced June 2013
Pentax K-1
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 1010g - 137 x 110 x 86mm
  • Introduced February 2016
  • Successor is Pentax K-1 II
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K-1 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K-1, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a big difference between the sensor resolutions of the SZ-15 (16MP) and K-1 (36MP) and the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and K-1 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The SZ-15 was released 3 years earlier than the K-1 which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going through a full comparison, below is a short introduction of how the SZ-15 matches up vs the K-1 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Pentax K-1

 SZ-15 K-1 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-1 over the Olympus SZ-15

 K-1 SZ-15 
IntroducedFebruary 2016June 2013Newer by 32 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kCrisper screen (+577k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SZ-15 and Pentax K-1

 SZ-15 K-1 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K-1 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-15 comes with exterior dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) while the Pentax K-1 has dimensions of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K-1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the SZ-15 vs the K-1.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K-1 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-15 and K-1 is 88 and 55 respectively.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K-1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K-1 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its difficult to picture the difference between sensor dimensions just by reading through specs. The image here will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ-15 and K-1.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-15 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-1 will give more detail as a result of its extra 20 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SZ-15 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K-1 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Portrait photography advice
Pentax K-1 Portrait photography advice
44
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
supports face detect focus
can't use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
85
has manual focus
fantastic MP (36MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SZ-15
Street photography with Pentax K-1
60
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (250g)
fixed screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
70
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
good ISO range (204,800)
heavier than average (1,010g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Sports photography factors
Pentax K-1 Sports photography factors
53
incredible zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
supports tracking focus
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
76
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic MP (36MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
supports tracking autofocus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect AF
max frames per second very slow (4.4 frames per second)
bad battery (760 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Travel photography info
Pentax K-1 Travel photography info
68
lighter than others (250g)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (23mm)
long zoom (483mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
53
environment proofing
fantastic MP (36MP)
bad battery (760 shots)
heavier than average (1,010 grams)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Landscape photography info
Pentax K-1 Landscape photography info
49
focusing manually
pretty wide (23mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
lack of Timelapse mode
81
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
good sized screen (3.2")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic MP (36MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
no low pass filter
good ISO range (204,800)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
has dual storage slots
bad battery (760 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Vlogging highlights
Pentax K-1 Vlogging highlights
34
pretty wide (23mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than others (250g)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of microphone socket
31
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
supports face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external mic jack
doesn't have selfie friendly display
heavier than average (1,010 grams)
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-15 and Pentax K-1
 Olympus SZ-15Pentax K-1
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus SZ-15 Pentax K-1
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Announced 2013-06-21 2016-02-17
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 36 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 7360 x 4912
Highest native ISO 3200 204800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 33
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 23-483mm (21.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 3 inch 3.2 inch
Display resolution 460k dot 1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0fps 4.4fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.50 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/200 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 480fps (176 x 128), 240fps (384 x 288) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn Built-in
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 250 gr (0.55 lbs) 1010 gr (2.23 lbs)
Dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 137 x 110 x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 96
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 25.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 3280
Other
Battery life - 760 photographs
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID SLB-10A D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Storage slots Single Two
Retail cost $200 $1,499