Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax Efina

Following is a comprehensive review of the Olympus XZ-1 versus Pentax Efina, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Ultracompact by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and Efina (14MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and Efina (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-1 was unveiled 3 years prior to the Efina which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax Efina being a Ultracompact camera.

Before going straight into a thorough comparison, below is a short overview of how the XZ-1 scores versus the Efina with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus XZ-1 and Pentax Efina. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery and Pentax Efina Gallery.

In case you're going to carry around your camera frequently, you will have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-1 offers outside dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) while the Pentax Efina has dimensions of 87mm x 54mm x 21mm (3.4" x 2.1" x 0.8") having a weight of 91 grams (0.20 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus XZ-1 versus Pentax Efina in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the XZ-1 vs the Efina.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the XZ-1 and Efina is 88 and 97 respectively.

Typically, its hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizes just by reading specifications. The pic here will give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-1 and Efina.

To sum up, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The XZ-1 with its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Pentax Efina will offer greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics far more aggressively. The more aged XZ-1 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.