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Olympus 550WP vs Pentax RZ18

Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26
Olympus Stylus 550WP front
 
Pentax Optio RZ18 front
Portability
92
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax RZ18 Key Specs

Olympus 550WP
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 38-114mm (F3.5-5.0) lens
  • 167g - 94 x 62 x 22mm
  • Revealed January 2009
  • Other Name is mju 550WP
Pentax RZ18
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-450mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 97 x 61 x 33mm
  • Introduced September 2011
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Olympus 550WP vs Pentax RZ18 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus 550WP over the Pentax RZ18

 550WP RZ18 

Reasons to pick Pentax RZ18 over the Olympus 550WP

 RZ18 550WP 
IntroducedSeptember 2011January 2009More recent by 32 months
Focus manually More accurate focus
Screen dimension3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus 550WP and Pentax RZ18

 550WP RZ18 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax RZ18 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax RZ18 size comparison

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

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax RZ18 top view buttons comparison

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax RZ18 Sensor Comparison

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.

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax RZ18 sensor size comparison

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus 550WP vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus 550WP Portrait photography factors
Pentax RZ18 Portrait photography factors
19
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
low resolution (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
36
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus 550WP Street photography highlights
Pentax RZ18 Street photography highlights
61
built in image stabilization (Digital)
weather proof
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
65
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
lighter than competition (178 grams)
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus 550WP Sports photography details
Pentax RZ18 Sports photography details
30
built in image stabilization (Digital)
weather proof
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,000 seconds)
no shutter priority
low resolution (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
47
great zoom range (25-450mm 18.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proofing
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus 550WP as a Travel photography camera
Pentax RZ18 as a Travel photography camera
55
weather proof
built-in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
low resolution (10MP)
does not have a selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
71
lighter than competition (178g)
weather proofing
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
great reach (450mm)
lack of Time Lapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus 550WP Landscape photography features
Pentax RZ18 Landscape photography features
30
built in image stabilization (Digital)
weather proof
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.5")
manual exposure not possible
low resolution (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse function
49
has manual focus
relatively wide (25mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
weather proofing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
lack of Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus 550WP Vlogging features
Pentax RZ18 Vlogging features
25
built in image stabilization (Digital)
wide angle not great (38mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
does not have a selfie friendly display
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
doesn't have microphone support
30
relatively wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (178g)
slow max aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external mic jack
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Olympus 550WP vs Pentax RZ18 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus 550WP and Pentax RZ18
 Olympus Stylus 550WPPentax Optio RZ18
General Information
Make Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus Stylus 550WP Pentax Optio RZ18
Also called mju 550WP -
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2009-01-07 2011-09-12
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 1600 6400
Min native ISO 64 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 38-114mm (3.0x) 25-450mm (18.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.5-5.0 f/3.5-5.9
Macro focusing range 7cm 4cm
Crop factor 5.9 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/1000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter speed - 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance - 2.80 m
Flash settings Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Off, On Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 167 gr (0.37 pounds) 178 gr (0.39 pounds)
Dimensions 94 x 62 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") 97 x 61 x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery ID - D-LI92
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media xD-Picture Card, microSD, internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at release $399 $210