Olympus 1 vs Pentax K-S2

Lets look much closer at the Olympus 1 vs Pentax K-S2, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a huge difference among the image resolutions of the 1 (12MP) and K-S2 (20MP) and the 1 (1/1.7") and K-S2 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The 1 was announced 14 months earlier than the K-S2 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus 1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple summation of how the 1 grades vs the K-S2 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus 1 and Pentax K-S2. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus 1 Gallery and Pentax K-S2 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus 1 provides outer dimensions of 116mm x 87mm x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") accompanied by a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-S2 has proportions of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") having a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus 1 vs Pentax K-S2 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the 1 vs the K-S2.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the 1 and K-S2 is 79 and 64 respectively.

Often, its hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizes only by going through technical specs. The picture below might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the 1 and K-S2.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The 1 having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-S2 will produce greater detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos far more aggressively. The more aged 1 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.