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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax Q7

Portability
89
Imaging
40
Features
36
Overall
38
Olympus SZ-16 iHS front
 
Pentax Q7 front
Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
54
Overall
43

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax Q7 Key Specs

Olympus SZ-16 iHS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 226g - 108 x 70 x 40mm
  • Announced January 2013
Pentax Q7
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax Q Mount
  • 200g - 102 x 58 x 34mm
  • Announced August 2013
  • Superseded the Pentax Q10
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax Q7 Overview

Below is a in-depth comparison of the Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax Q7, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and Q7 (12MP) and the SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") and Q7 (1/1.7") use totally different sensor sizes.

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The SZ-16 iHS was released 7 months prior to the Q7 and they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-16 iHS being a Compact camera and the Pentax Q7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a brief view of how the SZ-16 iHS matches up vs the Q7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SZ-16 iHS over the Pentax Q7

 SZ-16 iHS Q7 

Reasons to pick Pentax Q7 over the Olympus SZ-16 iHS

 Q7 SZ-16 iHS 
AnnouncedAugust 2013January 2013More recent by 7 months
Manually focus Very exact focusing

Common features in the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax Q7

 SZ-16 iHS Q7 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Screen resolution460k460kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax Q7 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you'll have to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS comes with exterior measurements 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 Q7 has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs).

Check the Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax Q7 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have at the time. Below is the front view measurement comparison of the SZ-16 iHS vs the Q7.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax Q7 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SZ-16 iHS and Q7 is 89 and 92 respectively.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax Q7 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax Q7 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it is difficult to envision the gap in sensor measurements purely by viewing a spec sheet. The visual below should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-16 iHS and Q7.

As you can see, each of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SZ-16 iHS due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Olympus SZ-16 iHS will render more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older SZ-16 iHS will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax Q7 sensor size comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax Q7 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax Q7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus SZ-16 iHS
Portrait photography with Pentax Q7
35
good megapixels (16MP)
has face detection focus
focusing manually not possible
no manual mode
external flash not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
48
manual focus
above average flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
supports face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS as a Street photography camera
Pentax Q7 as a Street photography camera
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others in class (226 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
69
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
saves RAW files
lighter than competition in class (200g)
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Sports photography factors
Pentax Q7 Sports photography factors
42
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
low frames per second (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
low battery power (220 shots)
no phase detect auto focus
32
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
terrible battery (250 CIPA)
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus SZ-16 iHS
Travel photography with Pentax Q7
65
lighter than others in class (226 grams)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
very long zoom (600mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
low battery power (220 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.0)
60
lighter than competition in class (200g)
built-in flash
terrible battery (250 shots)
resolution not great (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Landscape photography factors
Pentax Q7 Landscape photography factors
41
relatively wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
no manual mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
low battery power (220 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse recording
55
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax Q mount)
screen is a good size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
saves RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
terrible battery (250 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SZ-16 iHS Vlogging highlights
Pentax Q7 Vlogging highlights
31
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focus
lighter than others in class (226g)
slow max aperture (f3.0)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external microphone socket
35
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (200g)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have external mic jack
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Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Pentax Q7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Pentax Q7
 Olympus SZ-16 iHSPentax Q7
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus SZ-16 iHS Pentax Q7
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2013-01-08 2013-08-08
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/1.7"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Pentax Q
Lens focal range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Number of lenses - 8
Crop factor 5.8 4.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology TFT Color LCD TFT color LCD monitor, wide angle viewing, AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (optional)
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range - 4.90 m (ISO100/m)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in P-TTL, Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Trailing Curtain Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 180 (30fps) FullHD(1920x1080, 30fps/25fps/24fps), HD(1280x720,16:9,30fps/25fps/24fps), VGA(640x480,4:3,30fps/25fps/24fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 226 gr (0.50 pounds) 200 gr (0.44 pounds)
Dimensions 108 x 70 x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") 102 x 58 x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 220 photographs 250 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, pet auto shutter) Yes (12 sec, 2 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD, SDHC, SDXC and Eye-Fi Card
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $230 $480