Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Pentax K-5 II

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Pentax K-5 II, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. The sensor resolution of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the K-5 II (16MP) is fairly comparable but the SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") and K-5 II (APS-C) posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-31MR iHS was revealed 16 months before the K-5 II making them a generation apart from each other. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a full comparison, here is a simple overview of how the SZ-31MR iHS scores against the K-5 II in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS & Pentax K-5 II. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery & Pentax K-5 II Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and size. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS offers outside measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-5 II has specifications of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS and Pentax K-5 II in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using during that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS vs the K-5 II.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-31MR iHS and K-5 II is 89 and 60 respectively.

Often, its difficult to visualise the difference in sensor measurements only by checking out a spec sheet. The visual below may give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-31MR iHS and K-5 II.

Clearly, both cameras have the same MP but not the same sensor measurements. The SZ-31MR iHS has the smaller sensor which should make getting bokeh more challenging. The older SZ-31MR iHS will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.