Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Pentax K100D S

Following is a detailed review of the Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Pentax K100D S, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the TG-820 iHS (12MP) and K100D S (6MP) and the TG-820 iHS (1/2.3") and K100D S (APS-C) have different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The TG-820 iHS was unveiled 4 years after the K100D S which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus TG-820 iHS being a Compact camera and the Pentax K100D S being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the TG-820 iHS scores vs the K100D S in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus TG-820 iHS & Pentax K100D Super. The full galleries are provided at Olympus TG-820 iHS Gallery & Pentax K100D S Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus TG-820 iHS offers outside measurements of 101mm x 65mm x 26mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.0") along with a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) while the Pentax K100D S has specifications of 129mm x 91mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.8") having a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Examine the Olympus TG-820 iHS vs Pentax K100D S in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is a front view dimensions comparison of the TG-820 iHS against the K100D S.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the TG-820 iHS and K100D S is 92 and 65 respectively.

Sometimes, it's hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes purely by looking through technical specs. The picture below will offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the TG-820 iHS and K100D S.

As you can tell, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The TG-820 iHS using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Olympus TG-820 iHS will provide you with more detail having an extra 6MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The fresher TG-820 iHS provides an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.