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Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-S1

Portability
88
Imaging
41
Features
51
Overall
45
Olympus Stylus SH-2 front
 
Pentax K-S1 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
70
Overall
65

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-S1 Key Specs

Olympus SH-2
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-600mm (F3.0-6.9) lens
  • 271g - 109 x 63 x 42mm
  • Introduced March 2015
  • Older Model is Olympus SH-1
  • Newer Model is Olympus SH-3
Pentax K-S1
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 558g - 121 x 93 x 70mm
  • Announced August 2014
  • New Model is Pentax K-S2
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Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-S1 Overview

Below is a detailed assessment of the Olympus SH-2 and Pentax K-S1, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Pentax. The image resolution of the SH-2 (16MP) and the K-S1 (20MP) is pretty well matched but the SH-2 (1/2.3") and K-S1 (APS-C) have different sensor measurements.

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The SH-2 was released 7 months later than the K-S1 so they are both of a similar age. The two cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SH-2 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-S1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the SH-2 grades vs the K-S1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus SH-2 over the Pentax K-S1

 SH-2 K-S1 
AnnouncedMarch 2015August 2014More recent by 7 months
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax K-S1 over the Olympus SH-2

 K-S1 SH-2 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Screen resolution921k460kSharper screen (+461k dot)

Common features in the Olympus SH-2 and Pentax K-S1

 SH-2 K-S1 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-S1 Physical Comparison

When you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus SH-2 has exterior dimensions of 109mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 271 grams (0.60 lbs) and the Pentax K-S1 has specifications of 121mm x 93mm x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") along with a weight of 558 grams (1.23 lbs).

Examine the Olympus SH-2 and Pentax K-S1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you select at that time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the SH-2 against the K-S1.

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-S1 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SH-2 and K-S1 is 88 and 69 respectively.

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-S1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-S1 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to picture the gap between sensor measurements purely by checking a spec sheet. The visual below will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SH-2 and K-S1.

Clearly, the two cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The SH-2 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-S1 will resolve more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The newer SH-2 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-S1 sensor size comparison

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-S1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-S1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Portrait photography features
Pentax K-S1 Portrait photography features
44
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
comes with face detection focus
exports RAW files
manual focus not available
cannot use external flash
sensor is small (1/2.3")
77
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Street photography advice
Pentax K-S1 Street photography advice
70
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW files
features touch focus
lighter than competition (271g)
screen is fixed
sensor is small (1/2.3")
73
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (558 grams)
great ISO range (51,200)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus SH-2
Sports photography with Pentax K-S1
51
long zoom range (25-600mm 24.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
good battery power (380 per charge)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
69
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports tracking autofocus
supports phase detect AF
max frames per second very slow (5.4 fps)
low battery life (410 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus SH-2 Travel photography information
Pentax K-S1 Travel photography information
74
good battery power (380 CIPA)
lighter than competition (271g)
features touch focus
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
great zoom (600mm)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
60
lighter than competition in class (558g)
decent sensor resolution (20MP)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse mode
low battery life (410 per charge)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus SH-2
Landscape photography with Pentax K-S1
55
pretty wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
exports RAW files
good battery power (380 CIPA)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
73
focusing manually
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
does not have anti-alias filter
great ISO range (51,200)
delivers RAW formats
low battery life (410 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus SH-2 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax K-S1 as a Vlogging camera
35
pretty wide (25mm)
touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (271 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.0)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of external microphone support
33
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (558g)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
does not have external microphone support
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Olympus SH-2 vs Pentax K-S1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus SH-2 and Pentax K-S1
 Olympus Stylus SH-2Pentax K-S1
General Information
Company Olympus Pentax
Model type Olympus Stylus SH-2 Pentax K-S1
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2015-03-11 2014-08-27
Physical type Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII Prime MII
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 6400 51200
Minimum native ISO 125 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 11
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens zoom range 25-600mm (24.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.0-6.9 -
Macro focusing distance 3cm -
Number of lenses - 151
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.64x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/6000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 11.5 frames/s 5.4 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 8.30 m (at ISO 3200) 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, redeye reduction, fill-in, off Auto, auto + redeye, on, on + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
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 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264 H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 271 grams (0.60 lbs) 558 grams (1.23 lbs)
Physical dimensions 109 x 63 x 42mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.7") 121 x 93 x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 78
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.5
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 1061
Other
Battery life 380 photos 410 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-92B D-LI109
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC, Internal Memory SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $399 $339