Olympus XZ-10 vs Pentax K-S2

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus XZ-10 and Pentax K-S2, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the XZ-10 (12MP) and K-S2 (20MP) and the XZ-10 (1/2.3") and K-S2 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-10 was introduced 24 months earlier than the K-S2 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-S2 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a in depth comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the XZ-10 grades versus the K-S2 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus XZ-10 and Pentax K-S2. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus XZ-10 Gallery and Pentax K-S2 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-10 has got physical measurements of 102mm x 61mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Pentax K-S2 has measurements of 123mm x 91mm x 73mm (4.8" x 3.6" x 2.9") and a weight of 678 grams (1.49 lbs).

Look at the Olympus XZ-10 and Pentax K-S2 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you choose during that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the XZ-10 versus the K-S2.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-10 and K-S2 is 91 and 64 respectively.

Generally, it is very difficult to see the difference between sensor measurements just by reading through technical specs. The photograph underneath will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the XZ-10 and K-S2.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The XZ-10 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-S2 will give you more detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images much more aggressively. The older XZ-10 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.