Pentax K-01 vs Pentax RS1500

Its time to look much closer at the Pentax K-01 vs Pentax RS1500, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are sold by Pentax. The sensor resolution of the K-01 (16MP) and the RS1500 (14MP) is fairly similar but the K-01 (APS-C) and RS1500 (1/2.3") posses different sensor dimensions.

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The K-01 was introduced 15 months later than the RS1500 making them a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Pentax K-01 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise summation of how the K-01 matches up vs the RS1500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax K-01 and Pentax Optio RS1500. The whole galleries are provided at Pentax K-01 Gallery and Pentax RS1500 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera often, you have to think about its weight and size. The Pentax K-01 offers exterior dimensions of 122mm x 79mm x 58mm (4.8" x 3.1" x 2.3") having a weight of 561 grams (1.24 lbs) while the Pentax RS1500 has specifications of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Look at the Pentax K-01 vs Pentax RS1500 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the K-01 vs the RS1500.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the K-01 and RS1500 is 76 and 93 respectively.

More often than not, it is very difficult to picture the contrast between sensor measurements just by reading technical specs. The graphic here should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the K-01 and RS1500.

As you can tell, both of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The K-01 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Pentax K-01 will deliver more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The newer K-01 should have an edge in sensor technology.