Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax K-5

The following is a extensive overview of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Pentax K-5, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and K-5 (16MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and K-5 (APS-C) boast different sensor sizes.

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The XZ-2 iHS was manufactured 2 years after the K-5 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving into a full comparison, here is a brief summary of how the XZ-2 iHS scores against the K-5 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus XZ-2 iHS & Pentax K-5. The entire galleries are available at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery & Pentax K-5 Gallery.

If you're looking to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS comes with exterior dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") with a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) while the Pentax K-5 has sizing of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 740 grams (1.63 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Pentax K-5 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at the time. Following is a front view size comparison of the XZ-2 iHS versus the K-5.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-2 iHS and K-5 is 85 and 60 respectively.

Sometimes, it is tough to picture the difference in sensor dimensions merely by researching specifications. The pic below will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-2 iHS and K-5.

Plainly, each of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-2 iHS because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh tougher and the Pentax K-5 will render more detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more modern XZ-2 iHS should have an edge in sensor innovation.