Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K100D

On this page, we are evaluating the Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K100D, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the SZ-15 (16MP) and K100D (6MP) and the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and K100D (APS-C) offer different sensor size.

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The SZ-15 was manufactured 6 years after the K100D which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K100D being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the SZ-15 matches up against the K100D in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SZ-15 & Pentax K100D. The entire galleries are available at Olympus SZ-15 Gallery & Pentax K100D Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera often, you'll have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-15 comes with physical dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") and a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Pentax K100D has measurements of 129mm x 93mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax K100D in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the SZ-15 against the K100D.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-15 and K100D is 88 and 64 respectively.

Sometimes, it's tough to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions only by looking at a spec sheet. The picture here should give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-15 and K100D.

Clearly, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-15 because of its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF tougher and the Olympus SZ-15 will resolve more detail due to its extra 10MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The more modern SZ-15 should have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.