Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Pentax K-500

Lets look much closer at the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Pentax K-500, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the SZ-31MR iHS (16MP) and the K-500 (16MP) is relatively comparable but the SZ-31MR iHS (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The SZ-31MR iHS was revealed 21 months before the K-500 which makes them a generation away from each other. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief view of how the SZ-31MR iHS grades vs the K-500 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SZ-31MR iHS & Pentax K-500. The full galleries are provided at Olympus SZ-31MR iHS Gallery & Pentax K-500 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry around your camera frequently, you'll need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus SZ-31MR iHS features physical measurements of 106mm x 69mm x 40mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-500 has measurements of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SZ-31MR iHS vs Pentax K-500 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you choose during that time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the SZ-31MR iHS against the K-500.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-31MR iHS and K-500 is 89 and 64 respectively.

In many cases, its difficult to see the difference in sensor sizes simply by going through a spec sheet. The pic here should provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the SZ-31MR iHS and K-500.

Clearly, both cameras provide the same resolution albeit not the same sensor sizes. The SZ-31MR iHS comes with the smaller sensor which should make obtaining shallow depth of field trickier. The more aged SZ-31MR iHS will be behind in sensor tech.