Olympus SZ-15 vs Pentax Q7

Below is a in depth analysis of the Olympus SZ-15 and Pentax Q7, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the SZ-15 (16MP) and Q7 (12MP) and the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and Q7 (1/1.7") offer totally different sensor size.

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The SZ-15 was revealed around the same time to the Q7 and they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Pentax Q7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a simple overview of how the SZ-15 scores vs the Q7 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus SZ-15 & Pentax Q7. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-15 Gallery & Pentax Q7 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-15 has external measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") having a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Pentax Q7 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus SZ-15 and Pentax Q7 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at the time. The following is a front view scale comparison of the SZ-15 and the Q7.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-15 and Q7 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Generally, it's hard to see the difference in sensor measurements simply by viewing a spec sheet. The visual here will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-15 and Q7.

Clearly, each of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The SZ-15 having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF harder and the Olympus SZ-15 will result in extra detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images more aggressively.