Olympus 550WP vs Pentax KP

Following is a extended analysis of the Olympus 550WP vs Pentax KP, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and KP (24MP) and the 550WP (1/2.3") and KP (APS-C) have totally different sensor size.

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The 550WP was launched 9 years prior to the KP which is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Pentax KP being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the 550WP scores vs the KP with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus 550WP and Pentax KP. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus 550WP Gallery and Pentax KP Gallery.

When you are looking to carry around your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus 550WP has outside 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 KP has proportions of 132mm x 101mm x 76mm (5.2" x 4.0" x 3.0") along with a weight of 703 grams (1.55 lbs).

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

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the 550WP versus the KP.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the 550WP and KP is 94 and 61 respectively.

In many cases, its hard to envision the gap between sensor sizes merely by checking specs. The picture below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the 550WP and KP.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The 550WP featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field tougher and the Pentax KP will give more detail utilizing its extra 14 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged 550WP is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.