Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax K-01

In this write-up, we will be comparing the Olympus XZ-1 and Pentax K-01, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and K-01 (16MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and K-01 (APS-C) enjoy different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-1 was introduced 16 months before the K-01 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-01 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a complete comparison, below is a concise summation of how the XZ-1 grades versus the K-01 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus XZ-1 and Pentax K-01. The whole galleries are available at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery and Pentax K-01 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to carry your camera often, you're going to have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-1 has got outside dimensions of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) while the Pentax K-01 has measurements of 122mm x 79mm x 58mm (4.8" x 3.1" x 2.3") and a weight of 561 grams (1.24 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-1 and Pentax K-01 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the XZ-1 vs the K-01.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-1 and K-01 is 88 and 76 respectively.

Typically, it's difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizing purely by looking at specifications. The visual below may give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-1 and K-01.

Plainly, both of these cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The XZ-1 with its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Pentax K-01 will give you more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots a little more aggressively. The older XZ-1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.