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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-S1

Portability
89
Imaging
39
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus SZ-16 iHS front
 
Pentax K-S1 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
70
Overall
65

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-S1 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
  • Released January 2013
Pentax K-S1
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 558g - 121 x 93 x 70mm
  • Announced August 2014
  • Renewed by Pentax K-S2
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-S1 Overview

Here, we will be evaluating the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax K-S1, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and the K-S1 (20MP) is relatively well matched but the SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") and K-S1 (APS-C) provide different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-16 iHS was launched 19 months before the K-S1 which makes them a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-16 iHS being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-S1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a full comparison, here is a quick summation of how the SZ-16 iHS matches up against the K-S1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-16 iHS over the Pentax K-S1

 SZ-16 iHS K-S1 

Reasons to pick Pentax K-S1 over the Olympus SZ-16 iHS

 K-S1 SZ-16 iHS 
AnnouncedAugust 2014January 2013More recent by 19 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Screen resolution921k460kClearer screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax K-S1

 SZ-16 iHS K-S1 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch screen Lack of Touch screen

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-S1 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera often, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS has outside dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") along with a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) while the Pentax K-S1 has proportions of 121mm x 93mm x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") with a weight of 558 grams (1.23 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax K-S1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Below is a front view size comparison of the SZ-16 iHS against the K-S1.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-S1 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-16 iHS and K-S1 is 89 and 69 respectively.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-S1 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to picture the gap between sensor measurements simply by looking at technical specs. The visual underneath will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-16 iHS and K-S1.

As you have seen, each of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SZ-16 iHS due to its tinier sensor is going to make shooting bokeh harder and the Pentax K-S1 will give extra detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older SZ-16 iHS is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax K-S1 as a Portrait photography camera
34
good resolution (16 megapixels)
offers face detect focus
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
77
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports face detection focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Street photography highlights
Pentax K-S1 Street photography highlights
60
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (226g)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
73
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
lighter than others in class (558g)
great ISO range (51,200)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Sports photography advice
Pentax K-S1 Sports photography advice
41
amazing zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
max fps low (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (220 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
69
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports tracking autofocus
supports phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (5.4 fps)
terrible battery pack (410 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Travel photography details
Pentax K-S1 Travel photography details
65
lighter than competition (226 grams)
good resolution (16MP)
flash built-in
relatively wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
does not have Timelapse mode
not so great battery power (220 per charge)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
60
lighter than others in class (558g)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
terrible battery pack (410 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SZ-16 iHS
Landscape photography with Pentax K-S1
41
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16MP)
lack of manual focus
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
manual exposure not available
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
not so great battery power (220 shots)
does not have Timelapse mode
73
focusing manually
swap lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
doesnt have low pass filter
great ISO range (51,200)
supports RAW formats
terrible battery pack (410 CIPA)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Vlogging advice
Pentax K-S1 Vlogging advice
31
relatively wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect focus
lighter than competition (226 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.0)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have microphone port
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than others in class (558g)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external microphone support
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax K-S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax K-S1
 Olympus SZ-16 iHSPentax K-S1
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus SZ-16 iHS Pentax K-S1
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Released 2013-01-08 2014-08-27
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Prime MII
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 6400 51200
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 11
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Amount of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 460k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Min shutter speed 4s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/6000s
Continuous shutter rate 2.0fps 5.4fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance - 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, auto + redeye, on, on + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported 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 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 226 grams (0.50 pounds) 558 grams (1.23 pounds)
Physical dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 121 x 93 x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 78
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.5
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 1061
Other
Battery life 220 images 410 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-50B D-LI109
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots Single Single
Launch cost $230 $339