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Pentax K-1 vs Pentax RZ18

Portability
55
Imaging
76
Features
82
Overall
78
Pentax K-1 front
 
Pentax Optio RZ18 front
Portability
92
Imaging
39
Features
37
Overall
38

Pentax K-1 vs Pentax RZ18 Key Specs

Pentax K-1
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 1010g - 137 x 110 x 86mm
  • Introduced February 2016
  • Refreshed by Pentax K-1 II
Pentax RZ18
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-450mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 178g - 97 x 61 x 33mm
  • Released September 2011
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Pentax K-1 vs Pentax RZ18 Overview

Lets look closer at the Pentax K-1 vs Pentax RZ18, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are manufactured by Pentax. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the K-1 (36MP) and RZ18 (16MP) and the K-1 (Full frame) and RZ18 (1/2.3") provide different sensor measurements.

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The K-1 was unveiled 4 years later than the RZ18 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Pentax RZ18 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a simple summary of how the K-1 scores against the RZ18 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Pentax K-1 over the Pentax RZ18

 K-1 RZ18 
ReleasedFebruary 2016September 2011More recent by 54 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen dimensions3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k460kSharper screen (+577k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax RZ18 over the Pentax K-1

 RZ18 K-1 

Common features in the Pentax K-1 and Pentax RZ18

 K-1 RZ18 
Focus manually Dial precise focus
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Pentax K-1 vs Pentax RZ18 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Pentax K-1 comes with outside dimensions of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") having a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs) while the Pentax RZ18 has specifications of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax K-1 vs Pentax RZ18 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the K-1 compared to the RZ18.

Pentax K-1 vs Pentax RZ18 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the K-1 and RZ18 is 55 and 92 respectively.

Pentax K-1 vs Pentax RZ18 top view buttons comparison

Pentax K-1 vs Pentax RZ18 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's hard to picture the contrast between sensor measurements only by reading technical specs. The graphic below might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the K-1 and RZ18.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The K-1 having a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field simpler and the Pentax K-1 will deliver more detail having an extra 20MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The younger K-1 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Pentax K-1 vs Pentax RZ18 sensor size comparison

Pentax K-1 vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax K-1 vs Pentax RZ18 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax K-1 Portrait photography info
Pentax RZ18 Portrait photography info
85
focusing manually
megapixel count amazing (36MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
features face detect focus
supports RAW files
36
focusing manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Pentax K-1 as a Street photography camera
Pentax RZ18 as a Street photography camera
70
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
very good high ISO (204,800)
more heavy than competitors (1,010g)
65
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
lighter than average (178 grams)
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Pentax K-1 Sports photography details
Pentax RZ18 Sports photography details
76
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count amazing (36 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
features tracking focus
environment sealing
comes with phase detect auto focus
very slow continuous shooting (4.4 fps)
low battery pack (760 shots)
47
excellent zoom range (25-450mm 18.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
low frames per second (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Pentax K-1 Travel photography highlights
Pentax RZ18 Travel photography highlights
53
environment sealing
megapixel count amazing (36MP)
low battery pack (760 shots)
more heavy than competitors (1,010g)
does not feature selfie friendly display
71
lighter than average (178 grams)
weather proof
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
long zoom (450mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Pentax K-1 Landscape photography highlights
Pentax RZ18 Landscape photography highlights
81
focusing manually
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count amazing (36 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
doesnt have low pass filter
very good high ISO (204,800)
supports RAW files
environment sealing
has double storage slots
low battery pack (760 shots)
49
focusing manually
pretty wide (25mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
weather proof
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not available
very small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Pentax K-1
Vlogging with Pentax RZ18
31
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have microphone port
does not feature selfie friendly display
more heavy than competitors (1,010g)
30
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than average (178g)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external microphone support
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Pentax K-1 vs Pentax RZ18 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax K-1 and Pentax RZ18
 Pentax K-1Pentax Optio RZ18
General Information
Manufacturer Pentax Pentax
Model Pentax K-1 Pentax Optio RZ18
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Introduced 2016-02-17 2011-09-12
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor area 861.6mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 36MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 7360 x 4912 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 204800 6400
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 33 9
Cross focus points 25 -
Lens
Lens mount Pentax KAF2 fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-450mm (18.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.9
Macro focus distance - 4cm
Amount of lenses 151 -
Crop factor 1 5.9
Screen
Type of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3.2 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dots 460 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 seconds 4 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 4.4 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 2.80 m
Flash modes Auto Flash Discharge, Auto Flash + Red-eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On + Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Slow-speed Sync + Red-eye, P-TTL, Trailing Curtain Sync, Contrast-control-sync, High-speed sync, Wireless sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/200 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Built-in None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 1010 grams (2.23 lbs) 178 grams (0.39 lbs)
Physical dimensions 137 x 110 x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") 97 x 61 x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 96 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 25.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 14.6 not tested
DXO Low light score 3280 not tested
Other
Battery life 760 photos -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model D-LI90 D-LI92
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots Dual Single
Launch price $1,499 $210