Olympus 1s vs Pentax K-5

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus 1s and Pentax K-5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the 1s (12MP) and K-5 (16MP) and the 1s (1/1.7") and K-5 (APS-C) posses different sensor measurements.

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The 1s was manufactured 4 years later than the K-5 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 1s being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick summary of how the 1s matches up vs the K-5 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus 1s & Pentax K-5. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus 1s Gallery & Pentax K-5 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry your camera often, you should factor in its weight and size. The Olympus 1s has got outside dimensions of 116mm x 87mm x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") and a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs) and the Pentax K-5 has specifications of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") with a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus 1s and Pentax K-5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the 1s compared to the K-5.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the 1s and K-5 is 79 and 60 respectively.

In many cases, it's tough to imagine the difference between sensor sizing purely by reading through a spec sheet. The graphic below will provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the 1s and K-5.

Clearly, the 2 cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The 1s featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Pentax K-5 will give you extra detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The fresher 1s should have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.