Olympus XZ-2 iHS vs Pentax K-500

Below is a thorough review of the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Pentax K-500, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Olympus and Pentax. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") and K-500 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The XZ-2 iHS was unveiled 11 months prior to the K-500 so they are both of a similar generation. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a thorough comparison, below is a short overview of how the XZ-2 iHS matches up against the K-500 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus XZ-2 iHS and Pentax K-500. The full galleries are available at Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery and Pentax K-500 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera often, you should take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus XZ-2 iHS has exterior dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") along with a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs) while the Pentax K-500 has proportions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") with a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

See the Olympus XZ-2 iHS versus Pentax K-500 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Below is the front view size comparison of the XZ-2 iHS and the K-500.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-2 iHS and K-500 is 85 and 64 respectively.

More often than not, its hard to see the gap between sensor measurements only by reviewing a spec sheet. The graphic here will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the XZ-2 iHS and K-500.

Clearly, both of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The XZ-2 iHS having a tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax K-500 will deliver extra detail having an extra 4MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics much more aggressively. The older XZ-2 iHS is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.