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Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-1

Portability
88
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45
Olympus Stylus SH-2 front
 
Pentax K-1 front
Portability
55
Imaging
76
Features
82
Overall
78

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-1 Key Specs

Olympus SH-2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Launched March 2015
  • Replaced the Olympus SH-1
  • Newer Model is Olympus SH-3
Pentax K-1
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 1010g - 137 x 110 x 86mm
  • Released February 2016
  • Updated by Pentax K-1 II
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Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-1 Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Olympus SH-2 versus Pentax K-1, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Olympus and Pentax. There is a large difference among the resolutions of the SH-2 (16MP) and K-1 (36MP) and the SH-2 (1/2.3") and K-1 (Full frame) feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The SH-2 was brought out 11 months before the K-1 so they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the SH-2 scores against the K-1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-2 over the Pentax K-1

 SH-2 K-1 
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-1 over the Olympus SH-2

 K-1 SH-2 
ReleasedFebruary 2016March 2015More recent by 11 months
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimension3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kCrisper screen (+577k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SH-2 and Pentax K-1

 SH-2 K-1 
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-1 Physical Comparison

If you're going to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Olympus SH-2 features external dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") having a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) while the Pentax K-1 has sizing of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") having a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs).

Check out the Olympus SH-2 versus Pentax K-1 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at the time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the SH-2 and the K-1.

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-1 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the SH-2 and K-1 is 88 and 55 respectively.

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-1 Sensor Comparison

Usually, its tough to see the contrast in sensor measurements only by seeing technical specs. The photograph underneath will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-2 and K-1.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SH-2 due to its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF tougher and the Pentax K-1 will produce extra detail having its extra 20 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older SH-2 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-1 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Portrait photography info
Pentax K-1 Portrait photography info
44
MP count good (16 megapixels)
features face detect autofocus
delivers RAW files
manual focus not available
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
85
has manual focus
megapixel count fantastic (36 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
has face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Street photography details
Pentax K-1 Street photography details
70
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW files
features touch to focus
lighter than competitors (271g)
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
70
screen articulates fully
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
very good ISO range (204,800)
more heavy than competitors (1,010g)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Sports photography highlights
Pentax K-1 Sports photography highlights
51
excellent zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16MP)
features tracking focus
great battery life (380 per charge)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count fantastic (36MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
weather proofing
has phase detect autofocus
max fps low (4.4 frames per second)
terrible battery power (760 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Travel photography details
Pentax K-1 Travel photography details
74
great battery life (380 CIPA)
lighter than competitors (271g)
features touch to focus
MP count good (16MP)
has built in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
long zoom (600mm)
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
53
weather proofing
megapixel count fantastic (36 megapixels)
terrible battery power (760 CIPA)
more heavy than competitors (1,010g)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SH-2
Landscape photography with Pentax K-1
55
fairly wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
delivers RAW files
great battery life (380 per charge)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
81
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
good sized screen (3.2 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count fantastic (36 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
does not have anti-alias filter
very good ISO range (204,800)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
has double storage slots
terrible battery power (760 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Vlogging information
Pentax K-1 Vlogging information
35
fairly wide (25mm)
screen is touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors (271g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have mic port
31
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has external microphone port
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
more heavy than competitors (1,010 grams)
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Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-2 and Pentax K-1
 Olympus Stylus SH-2Pentax K-1
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus Stylus SH-2 Pentax K-1
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Launched 2015-03-11 2016-02-17
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 36MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 7360 x 4912
Highest native ISO 6400 204800
Minimum native ISO 125 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 33
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Macro focusing distance 3cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display size 3 inches 3.2 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 11.5fps 4.4fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 8.30 m (at ISO 3200) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/200 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Built-in
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 271g (0.60 lbs) 1010g (2.23 lbs)
Dimensions 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") 137 x 110 x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 96
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 25.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 3280
Other
Battery life 380 photos 760 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-92B D-LI90
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I)
Storage slots 1 2
Cost at launch $399 $1,499