Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax K-70

Its time to look much closer at the Olympus XZ-1 and Pentax K-70, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Pentax. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and K-70 (24MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and K-70 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The XZ-1 was announced 6 years before the K-70 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-70 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go in to a full comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the XZ-1 grades against the K-70 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus XZ-1 & Pentax K-70. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery & Pentax K-70 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-1 features outside measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) and the Pentax K-70 has measurements of 126mm x 93mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 2.9") along with a weight of 688 grams (1.52 lbs).

Examine the Olympus XZ-1 and Pentax K-70 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at the time. Following is the front view size comparison of the XZ-1 compared to the K-70.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the XZ-1 and K-70 is 88 and 62 respectively.

Oftentimes, it is difficult to envision the gap in sensor sizing simply by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-1 and K-70.

Clearly, both of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The XZ-1 using its smaller sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Pentax K-70 will show greater detail with its extra 14 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively. The older XZ-1 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.