Olympus SP-820UZ vs Pentax K-70

Following is a extended analysis of the Olympus SP-820UZ vs Pentax K-70, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap between the resolutions of the SP-820UZ (14MP) and K-70 (24MP) and the SP-820UZ (1/2.3") and K-70 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The SP-820UZ was announced 4 years prior to the K-70 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SP-820UZ being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-70 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a simple overview of how the SP-820UZ grades versus the K-70 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus SP-820UZ and Pentax K-70. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus SP-820UZ Gallery and Pentax K-70 Gallery.

If you are going to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus SP-820UZ provides outer measurements of 117mm x 78mm x 93mm (4.6" x 3.1" x 3.7") along with a weight of 485 grams (1.07 lbs) while the Pentax K-70 has sizing of 126mm x 93mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 2.9") along with a weight of 688 grams (1.52 lbs).

Look at the Olympus SP-820UZ vs Pentax K-70 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the SP-820UZ and the K-70.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the SP-820UZ and K-70 is 69 and 62 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very hard to visualise the gap between sensor sizes only by reading through technical specs. The picture here might offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the SP-820UZ and K-70.

As you have seen, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The SP-820UZ having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Pentax K-70 will resolve greater detail with its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more aged SP-820UZ is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.