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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-01

Portability
89
Imaging
40
Features
36
Overall
38
Olympus SZ-16 iHS front
 
Pentax K-01 front
Portability
76
Imaging
57
Features
68
Overall
61

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-01 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-16 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Introduced January 2013
Pentax K-01
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 561g - 122 x 79 x 58mm
  • Announced May 2012
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-01 Overview

Below is a complete analysis of the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax K-01, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and the K-01 (16MP) is very well matched but the SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") and K-01 (APS-C) possess different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-16 iHS was revealed 8 months later than the K-01 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-16 iHS being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-01 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a in depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the SZ-16 iHS scores vs the K-01 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-16 iHS over the Pentax K-01

 SZ-16 iHS K-01 
AnnouncedJanuary 2013May 2012More recent by 8 months

Reasons to pick Pentax K-01 over the Olympus SZ-16 iHS

 K-01 SZ-16 iHS 
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Display resolution921k460kSharper display (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax K-01

 SZ-16 iHS K-01 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-01 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS provides exterior measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-01 has dimensions of 122mm x 79mm x 58mm (4.8" x 3.1" x 2.3") and a weight of 561 grams (1.24 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax K-01 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the SZ-16 iHS vs the K-01.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-01 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-16 iHS and K-01 is 89 and 76 respectively.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-01 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-01 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its difficult to visualize the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading through specs. The graphic below may offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-16 iHS and K-01.

All in all, both the cameras have got the exact same megapixels but different sensor measurements. The SZ-16 iHS features the tinier sensor which should make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging. The more recent SZ-16 iHS should have an edge in sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-01 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-01 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-01 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Portrait photography details
Pentax K-01 Portrait photography details
35
good resolution (16MP)
provides face detection autofocus
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
74
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detection focus
saves RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS as a Street photography camera
Pentax K-01 as a Street photography camera
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (226 grams)
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
fixed screen
heavier than average (561 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Sports photography factors
Pentax K-01 Sports photography factors
42
amazing zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16MP)
provides tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (220 shots)
has no phase detect autofocus
61
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
great battery (540 per charge)
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 frames/s)
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Travel photography advice
Pentax K-01 Travel photography advice
65
lighter than competition (226 grams)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
missing Timelapse recording
terrible battery life (220 shots)
does not feature selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
65
great battery (540 CIPA)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
heavier than average (561g)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Landscape photography highlights
Pentax K-01 Landscape photography highlights
41
relatively wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
lack of manual mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
terrible battery life (220 per charge)
missing Timelapse recording
80
you can focus manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
great battery (540 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Vlogging factors
Pentax K-01 Vlogging factors
31
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection autofocus
lighter than competition (226 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f3.0)
does not feature selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external microphone port
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with external mic support
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
heavier than average (561g)
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-01 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax K-01
 Olympus SZ-16 iHSPentax K-01
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus SZ-16 iHS Pentax K-01
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2013-01-08 2012-05-30
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 81
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Number of lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology TFT Color LCD TFT LCD monitor
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 2.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance - 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow-speed Sync, Trailing Curtain Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps),1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 25, 24 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 gr (0.50 lb) 561 gr (1.24 lb)
Dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 122 x 79 x 58mm (4.8" x 3.1" x 2.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 79
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.9
DXO Low light rating not tested 1135
Other
Battery life 220 photographs 540 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $230 $899