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Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax RS1500

Portability
88
Imaging
35
Features
51
Overall
41
Olympus XZ-1 front
 
Pentax Optio RS1500 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
30
Overall
34

Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax RS1500 Key Specs

Olympus XZ-1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.63" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 275g - 111 x 65 x 42mm
  • Introduced January 2011
Pentax RS1500
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Announced March 2011
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Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax RS1500 Overview

Below, we will be evaluating the Olympus XZ-1 and Pentax RS1500, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and RS1500 (14MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and RS1500 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizing.

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The XZ-1 was manufactured at a similar time to the RS1500 which means that they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before going in to a complete comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the XZ-1 grades against the RS1500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus XZ-1 over the Pentax RS1500

 XZ-1 RS1500 
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution614k230kClearer screen (+384k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax RS1500 over the Olympus XZ-1

 RS1500 XZ-1 

Common features in the Olympus XZ-1 and Pentax RS1500

 XZ-1 RS1500 
AnnouncedJanuary 2011March 2011Same generation
Manually focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch screen Lacking Touch screen

Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax RS1500 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera, you're going to have to think about 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") accompanied by a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) while the Pentax RS1500 has measurements of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus XZ-1 and Pentax RS1500 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the XZ-1 versus the RS1500.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax RS1500 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the XZ-1 and RS1500 is 88 and 93 respectively.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax RS1500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax RS1500 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's difficult to visualize the gap in sensor measurements merely by seeing specifications. The visual underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-1 and RS1500.

To sum up, both the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The XZ-1 because of its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Pentax RS1500 will produce greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively.

Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax RS1500 sensor size comparison

Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax RS1500 as a Portrait photography camera
45
focusing manually
offers face detect focus
saves RAW files
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/1.63")
35
focusing manually
good resolution (14MP)
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Street photography info
Pentax RS1500 Street photography info
59
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW files
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/1.63")
more heavy than average in class (275g)
54
environment sealing
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Sports photography info
Pentax RS1500 Sports photography info
38
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers tracking focus
good battery (320 shots)
slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/1.63")
lack of phase detect auto focus
37
good resolution (14MP)
provides tracking autofocus
environment sealing
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 Travel photography advice
Pentax RS1500 Travel photography advice
62
good battery (320 per charge)
has built in flash
relatively wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
no Timelapse mode
more heavy than average in class (275g)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
67
environment sealing
good resolution (14MP)
has built in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax RS1500 as a Landscape photography camera
54
focusing manually
relatively wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW files
good battery (320 per charge)
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/1.63")
no Timelapse mode
40
focusing manually
fairly wide (28mm)
good resolution (14MP)
environment sealing
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
lack of manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW support
lack of Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus XZ-1 as a Vlogging camera
Pentax RS1500 as a Vlogging camera
31
relatively wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect focus
display isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
no microphone socket
more heavy than average in class (275 grams)
25
fairly wide (28mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external microphone jack
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Olympus XZ-1 vs Pentax RS1500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus XZ-1 and Pentax RS1500
 Olympus XZ-1Pentax Optio RS1500
General Information
Brand Olympus Pentax
Model Olympus XZ-1 Pentax Optio RS1500
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-01-26 2011-03-16
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic V -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/1.63" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 8.07 x 5.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 44.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3664 x 2752 4288 x 3216
Max native ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-112mm (4.0x) 28-110mm (3.9x)
Maximum aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/3.5-5.5
Macro focus distance 1cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 4.5 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 614 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech OLED TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60 secs 4 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1500 secs
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 8.60 m (ISO 800) 3.90 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 275g (0.61 lbs) 157g (0.35 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 65 x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 34 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 18.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 117 not tested
Other
Battery life 320 photographs 260 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model Li-50B D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Retail cost $567 $150