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Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax Q

Portability
88
Imaging
40
Features
50
Overall
44
Olympus SZ-15 front
 
Pentax Q front
Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
47
Overall
39

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax Q 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 Q
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax Q Mount
  • 180g - 98 x 57 x 31mm
  • Released June 2011
  • Renewed by Pentax Q10
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax Q Overview

Following is a thorough overview of the Olympus SZ-15 and Pentax Q, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the SZ-15 (16MP) and Q (12MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SZ-15 was manufactured 2 years after the Q which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Pentax Q being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a in depth comparison, below is a brief summation of how the SZ-15 grades vs the Q with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-15 over the Pentax Q

 SZ-15 Q 
ReleasedJune 2013June 2011More modern by 25 months

Reasons to pick Pentax Q over the Olympus SZ-15

 Q SZ-15 

Common features in the Olympus SZ-15 and Pentax Q

 SZ-15 Q 
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Screen resolution460k460kIdentical screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax Q Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-15 has physical measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") and a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) and the Pentax Q has proportions of 98mm x 57mm x 31mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 180 grams (0.40 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SZ-15 and Pentax Q in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the SZ-15 against the Q.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax Q size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-15 and Q is 88 and 93 respectively.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax Q top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax Q Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to see the gap between sensor sizes purely by looking at technical specs. The pic underneath might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-15 and Q.

As you have seen, both of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Olympus SZ-15 to give greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more modern SZ-15 is going to have an advantage in sensor technology.

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax Q sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax Q Screen and ViewFinder

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

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Portrait photography info
Pentax Q Portrait photography info
44
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
features face detect focus
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
45
has manual focus
high flash sync (1/2,000s)
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus SZ-15
Street photography with Pentax Q
60
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (250g)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
69
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports RAW formats
lighter than others (180g)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Sports photography highlights
Pentax Q Sports photography highlights
53
amazing zoom range (23-483mm 21.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
features tracking focus
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
31
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
terrible battery pack (230 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 Travel photography highlights
Pentax Q Travel photography highlights
68
lighter than competition in class (250 grams)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
rather wide (23mm)
great zoom (483mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
57
lighter than others (180 grams)
flash built-in
no Timelapse mode
terrible battery pack (230 CIPA)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax Q as a Landscape photography camera
49
you can focus manually
rather wide (23mm)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
does not have Timelapse recording
51
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax Q mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
terrible battery pack (230 per charge)
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-15 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax Q as a Vlogging camera
34
rather wide (23mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (250 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have microphone port
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others (180 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
no external microphone support
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Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax Q Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-15 and Pentax Q
 Olympus SZ-15Pentax Q
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus SZ-15 Pentax Q
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2013-06-21 2011-06-23
Physical type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 3200 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 25
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax Q
Lens zoom range 23-483mm (21.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.9 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Number of lenses - 8
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech LCD TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Min shutter speed 8s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.50 m 5.60 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Trailing-curtain sync
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
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 (30 fps), 1280 x 720p (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format AVI MPEG4, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 250 grams (0.55 lbs) 180 grams (0.40 lbs)
Dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 98 x 57 x 31mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 47
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 20.2
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.1
DXO Low light rating not tested 189
Other
Battery life - 230 photos
Style of battery - Battery Pack
Battery ID SLB-10A D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Double) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at release $200 $695