Olympus XZ-10 vs Pentax 645Z

In this article, we will be comparing the Olympus XZ-10 and Pentax 645Z, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Pro DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the XZ-10 (12MP) and 645Z (51MP) and the XZ-10 (1/2.3") and 645Z (Medium format) feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The XZ-10 was announced 14 months earlier than the 645Z which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus XZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera.

Before we go straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the XZ-10 grades vs the 645Z in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus Stylus XZ-10 & Pentax 645Z. The whole galleries are available at Olympus XZ-10 Gallery & Pentax 645Z Gallery.

When you are intending to lug around your camera, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-10 features outside dimensions of 102mm x 61mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) and the Pentax 645Z has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") along with a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs).

Look at the Olympus XZ-10 and Pentax 645Z in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose during that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the XZ-10 versus the 645Z.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-10 and 645Z is 91 and 49 respectively.

More often than not, it is hard to see the gap in sensor measurements simply by viewing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-10 and 645Z.

As you can see, both the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The XZ-10 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Pentax 645Z will provide you with more detail with its extra 39 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs far more aggressively. The older XZ-10 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.