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Nikon Z50 vs Pentax RS1500

Portability
74
Imaging
68
Features
84
Overall
74
Nikon Z50 front
 
Pentax Optio RS1500 front
Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
30
Overall
34

Nikon Z50 vs Pentax RS1500 Key Specs

Nikon Z50
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Boost to 204800)
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Nikon Z Mount
  • 397g - 127 x 94 x 60mm
  • Announced October 2019
Pentax RS1500
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Revealed March 2011
Photography Glossary

Nikon Z50 vs Pentax RS1500 Overview

Let's look a bit more closely at the Nikon Z50 vs Pentax RS1500, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Nikon and Pentax. There is a big difference between the image resolutions of the Z50 (21MP) and RS1500 (14MP) and the Z50 (APS-C) and RS1500 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizing.

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The Z50 was released 8 years after the RS1500 which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Nikon Z50 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a comprehensive comparison, below is a short overview of how the Z50 matches up against the RS1500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Nikon Z50 over the Pentax RS1500

 Z50 RS1500 
RevealedOctober 2019March 2011Newer by 105 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3.2"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1040k230kClearer screen (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Pentax RS1500 over the Nikon Z50

 RS1500 Z50 

Common features in the Nikon Z50 and Pentax RS1500

 Z50 RS1500 
Manual focus Very exact focusing

Nikon Z50 vs Pentax RS1500 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Nikon Z50 provides outer dimensions of 127mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 2.4") and a weight of 397 grams (0.88 lbs) while the Pentax RS1500 has dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs).

Check the Nikon Z50 vs Pentax RS1500 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you choose at that time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the Z50 versus the RS1500.

Nikon Z50 vs Pentax RS1500 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the Z50 and RS1500 is 74 and 93 respectively.

Nikon Z50 vs Pentax RS1500 top view buttons comparison

Nikon Z50 vs Pentax RS1500 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its difficult to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions only by going over a spec sheet. The picture here will offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the Z50 and RS1500.

Clearly, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The Z50 because of its bigger sensor will make getting bokeh simpler and the Nikon Z50 will deliver extra detail as a result of its extra 7MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The younger Z50 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Nikon Z50 vs Pentax RS1500 sensor size comparison

Nikon Z50 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon Z50 vs Pentax RS1500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon Z50 Portrait photography details
Pentax RS1500 Portrait photography details
80
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (21MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detection focus
supports RAW formats
35
focusing manually
good resolution (14MP)
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Nikon Z50 Street photography factors
Pentax RS1500 Street photography factors
73
has a tilting screen
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
boasts touch focus
environment sealing
very good ISO range (51,200)
does not have image stabilization
heavier than competition (397g)
54
environment proof
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Nikon Z50 Sports photography features
Pentax RS1500 Sports photography features
75
decent sensor resolution (21 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
environment sealing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
does not have image stabilization
37
good resolution (14 megapixels)
has tracking focus
environment proof
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon Z50 Travel photography advice
Pentax RS1500 Travel photography advice
77
environment sealing
supports bluetooth
boasts touch focus
decent sensor resolution (21MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
heavier than competition (397 grams)
67
environment proof
good resolution (14MP)
has built in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse mode
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Nikon Z50
Landscape photography with Pentax RS1500
79
has manual focus
swap lenses (Nikon Z mount)
screen size is good (3.2 inches)
decent sensor resolution (21 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
very good ISO range (51,200)
supports RAW formats
environment sealing
does not have image stabilization
40
focusing manually
fairly wide (28mm)
good resolution (14MP)
environment proof
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7")
manual mode not available
lack of image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon Z50 Vlogging info
Pentax RS1500 Vlogging info
71
selfie friendly display
has touchscreen
has face detection focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
includes external mic port
does not have image stabilization
heavier than competition (397 grams)
25
fairly wide (28mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone socket
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Nikon Z50 vs Pentax RS1500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon Z50 and Pentax RS1500
 Nikon Z50Pentax Optio RS1500
General Information
Brand Name Nikon Pentax
Model type Nikon Z50 Pentax Optio RS1500
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2019-10-10 2011-03-16
Physical type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Expeed 6 -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.7mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 369.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 21 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5568 x 3712 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 51200 6400
Maximum enhanced ISO 204800 -
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 209 9
Lens
Lens support Nikon Z fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-110mm (3.9x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Total lenses 15 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3.2" 2.7"
Display resolution 1,040k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display tech - TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 4 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1500 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 11.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.90 m
Flash modes - Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 397 gr (0.88 pounds) 157 gr (0.35 pounds)
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 60mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 2.4") 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 320 photos 260 photos
Type of battery Built-in Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL25 D-LI92
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $857 $150