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Nikon S2900 vs Pentax K-500

Portability
96
Imaging
46
Features
32
Overall
40
Nikon Coolpix S2900 front
 
Pentax K-500 front
Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62

Nikon S2900 vs Pentax K-500 Key Specs

Nikon S2900
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F3.2-6.5) lens
  • 119g - 95 x 59 x 20mm
  • Introduced January 2015
Pentax K-500
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 646g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Announced November 2013
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Nikon S2900 vs Pentax K-500 Overview

Below is a in-depth comparison of the Nikon S2900 and Pentax K-500, one being a Ultracompact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Nikon and Pentax. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the S2900 (20MP) and K-500 (16MP) and the S2900 (1/2.3") and K-500 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

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The S2900 was introduced 14 months later than the K-500 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Nikon S2900 being a Ultracompact camera and the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting through a detailed comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the S2900 grades versus the K-500 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon S2900 over the Pentax K-500

 S2900 K-500 
AnnouncedJanuary 2015November 2013More recent by 14 months

Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Nikon S2900

 K-500 S2900 
Manual focus Dial precise focus
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kCrisper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Nikon S2900 and Pentax K-500

 S2900 K-500 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch display Lacking Touch display

Nikon S2900 vs Pentax K-500 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera, you will want to think about its weight and volume. The Nikon S2900 comes with physical dimensions of 95mm x 59mm x 20mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs) whilst the Pentax K-500 has sizing of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs).

Look at the Nikon S2900 and Pentax K-500 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at that moment. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the S2900 versus the K-500.

Nikon S2900 vs Pentax K-500 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the S2900 and K-500 is 96 and 64 respectively.

Nikon S2900 vs Pentax K-500 top view buttons comparison

Nikon S2900 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is hard to envision the gap between sensor measurements only by reviewing technical specs. The graphic here will provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the S2900 and K-500.

As you have seen, both of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The S2900 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Nikon S2900 will offer you more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics much more aggressively. The more recent S2900 is going to have an edge in sensor technology.

Nikon S2900 vs Pentax K-500 sensor size comparison

Nikon S2900 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon S2900 vs Pentax K-500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon S2900 Portrait photography highlights
Pentax K-500 Portrait photography highlights
39
good resolution (20MP)
comes with face detect focusing
focusing manually not possible
no manual exposure
no external flash support
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
74
manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detection focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Nikon S2900 Street photography factors
Pentax K-500 Street photography factors
59
built in image stabilization (Digital)
fixed screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
great high ISO (51,600)
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Nikon S2900 Sports photography info
Pentax K-500 Sports photography info
51
built in image stabilization (Digital)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
great battery power (250 per charge)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
72
high shutter speed (1/6,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
better than average battery power (710 per charge)
supports phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Nikon S2900 Travel photography highlights
Pentax K-500 Travel photography highlights
70
great battery power (250 per charge)
good resolution (20 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (26mm)
missing Timelapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.2)
67
better than average battery power (710 CIPA)
good MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Nikon S2900
Landscape photography with Pentax K-500
44
relatively wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Digital)
good resolution (20MP)
great battery power (250 CIPA)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
no manual exposure
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
missing Timelapse mode
79
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
great high ISO (51,600)
exports RAW files
better than average battery power (710 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon S2900 Vlogging information
Pentax K-500 Vlogging information
32
relatively wide (26mm)
built in image stabilization (Digital)
comes with face detect focusing
slow max aperture (f3.2)
display is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing microphone socket
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
no external microphone support
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Nikon S2900 vs Pentax K-500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon S2900 and Pentax K-500
 Nikon Coolpix S2900Pentax K-500
General Information
Brand Nikon Pentax
Model Nikon Coolpix S2900 Pentax K-500
Category Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2015-01-14 2013-11-27
Physical type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Expeed C2 PRIME M
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2
Maximum resolution 5152 x 3864 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 3200 51600
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 11
Cross focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Pentax KAF2
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/3.2-6.5 -
Macro focus range 10cm -
Amount of lenses - 151
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech - TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.61x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/6000s
Continuous shooting rate - 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.00 m 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings - Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30p) 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 119g (0.26 lbs) 646g (1.42 lbs)
Dimensions 95 x 59 x 20mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.8") 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 79
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.1
DXO Low light score not tested 1087
Other
Battery life 250 photographs 710 photographs
Battery style Battery Pack AA
Battery model EN-EL19 4 x AA
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $117 $600