Olympus Tough-3000 vs Pentax K-S1

Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus Tough-3000 and Pentax K-S1, one is a Waterproof and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a huge difference between the resolutions of the Tough-3000 (12MP) and K-S1 (20MP) and the Tough-3000 (1/2.3") and K-S1 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor size.

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The Tough-3000 was revealed 5 years before the K-S1 which is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus Tough-3000 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-S1 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving into a in depth comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the Tough-3000 grades vs the K-S1 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus Tough-3000 and Pentax K-S1. The full galleries are available at Olympus Tough-3000 Gallery and Pentax K-S1 Gallery.

For those who are intending to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus Tough-3000 has got external measurements of 96mm x 65mm x 23mm (3.8" x 2.6" x 0.9") along with a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-S1 has proportions of 121mm x 93mm x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") and a weight of 558 grams (1.23 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus Tough-3000 and Pentax K-S1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the Tough-3000 vs the K-S1.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the Tough-3000 and K-S1 is 94 and 69 respectively.

Generally, it is very difficult to see the difference between sensor sizes purely by going over technical specs. The picture here should offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the Tough-3000 and K-S1.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The Tough-3000 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Pentax K-S1 will offer extra detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more aged Tough-3000 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.