Olympus SH-1 vs Pentax K-r

Below is a in depth assessment of the Olympus SH-1 and Pentax K-r, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the SH-1 (16MP) and K-r (12MP) and the SH-1 (1/2.3") and K-r (APS-C) possess totally different sensor sizes.

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The SH-1 was manufactured 3 years later than the K-r and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SH-1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-r being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going through a full comparison, below is a short overview of how the SH-1 matches up versus the K-r when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus SH-1 and Pentax K-r. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus SH-1 Gallery and Pentax K-r Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus SH-1 features external dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Pentax K-r has proportions of 125mm x 97mm x 68mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.7") having a weight of 598 grams (1.32 lbs).

See the Olympus SH-1 and Pentax K-r in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the SH-1 compared to the K-r.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the SH-1 and K-r is 88 and 67 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is tough to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements only by looking at a spec sheet. The visual here might offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-1 and K-r.

Clearly, both of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SH-1 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting bokeh harder and the Olympus SH-1 will give greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures much more aggressively. The younger SH-1 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.