Olympus 550WP vs Pentax RZ18

Below, we will be reviewing the Olympus 550WP and Pentax RZ18, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and RZ18 (16MP) but they feature the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The 550WP was unveiled 3 years before the RZ18 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before going through a step-by-step comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the 550WP matches up versus the RZ18 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus 550WP & Pentax Optio RZ18. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus 550WP Gallery & Pentax RZ18 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus 550WP enjoys physical dimensions of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) while the Pentax RZ18 has proportions of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Look at the Olympus 550WP and Pentax RZ18 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the 550WP vs the RZ18.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 550WP and RZ18 is 94 and 92 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to envision the contrast between sensor measurements merely by reading through specifications. The graphic below might provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the 550WP and RZ18.

To sum up, both the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Pentax RZ18 to give extra detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The older 550WP is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.