Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-r

The following is a in-depth overview of the Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-r, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. The resolution of the 550WP (10MP) and the K-r (12MP) is very well matched but the 550WP (1/2.3") and K-r (APS-C) have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The 550WP was announced 3 years prior to the K-r which is quite a large gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-r being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a simple summary of how the 550WP matches up vs the K-r in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 550WP and Pentax K-r. The whole galleries are available at Olympus 550WP Gallery and Pentax K-r Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera regularly, you will have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus 550WP provides exterior measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-r has dimensions of 125mm x 97mm x 68mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.7") along with a weight of 598 grams (1.32 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K-r in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the 550WP and the K-r.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the 550WP and K-r is 94 and 67 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by reading through a spec sheet. The image underneath might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the 550WP and K-r.

As you can see, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The 550WP having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-r will give more detail with its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images more aggressively. The more aged 550WP is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.