Olympus 550WP vs Pentax K20D

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus 550WP versus Pentax K20D, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap among the resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and K20D (15MP) and the 550WP (1/2.3") and K20D (APS-C) come with different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The 550WP was manufactured 7 months later than the K20D which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Pentax K20D being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving through a full comparison, below is a quick introduction of how the 550WP matches up versus the K20D with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus 550WP and Pentax K20D. The entire galleries are available at Olympus 550WP Gallery and Pentax K20D Gallery.

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera, you will have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus 550WP provides physical measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) while the Pentax K20D has proportions of 142mm x 101mm x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs).

Look at the Olympus 550WP versus Pentax K20D in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use at the time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the 550WP vs the K20D.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 550WP and K20D is 94 and 59 respectively.

Normally, it is tough to visualize the gap in sensor measurements merely by seeing technical specs. The visual here should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the 550WP and K20D.

As you can tell, both cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The 550WP featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Pentax K20D will show more detail due to its extra 5 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The more recent 550WP provides an edge in sensor technology.