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Pentax 645D vs Sony A850

Portability
50
Imaging
75
Features
52
Overall
65
Pentax 645D front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
Portability
54
Imaging
67
Features
60
Overall
64

Pentax 645D vs Sony A850 Key Specs

Pentax 645D
(Full Review)
  • 40MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 1600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • No Video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1480g - 156 x 117 x 119mm
  • Announced March 2010
  • Renewed by Pentax 645Z
Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Expand to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Revealed April 2010
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Pentax 645D vs Sony A850 Overview

Its time to examine more closely at the Pentax 645D versus Sony A850, one being a Pro DSLR and the other is a Advanced DSLR by brands Pentax and Sony. There exists a big gap between the image resolutions of the 645D (40MP) and A850 (25MP) and the 645D (Medium format) and A850 (Full frame) feature totally different sensor measurements.

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The 645D was unveiled very close to the A850 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Pentax 645D being a Large SLR camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a quick view of how the 645D grades vs the A850 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Pentax 645D over the Sony A850

 645D A850 

Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Pentax 645D

 A850 645D 
Display resolution922k921kCrisper display (+1k dot)

Common features in the Pentax 645D and Sony A850

 645D A850 
RevealedMarch 2010April 2010Similar generation
Manual focus Very exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurements
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither features Touch friendly display

Pentax 645D vs Sony A850 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry your camera often, you will need to consider its weight and proportions. The Pentax 645D enjoys outer dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7") and a weight of 1480 grams (3.26 lbs) whilst the Sony A850 has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Look at the Pentax 645D versus Sony A850 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have at the time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the 645D vs the A850.

Pentax 645D vs Sony A850 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 645D and A850 is 50 and 54 respectively.

Pentax 645D vs Sony A850 top view buttons comparison

Pentax 645D vs Sony A850 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to visualise the gap between sensor sizing merely by reading through a spec sheet. The graphic here might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the 645D and A850.

As you can see, both the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The 645D with its larger sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Pentax 645D will give more detail having an extra 15 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics far more aggressively.

Pentax 645D vs Sony A850 sensor size comparison

Pentax 645D vs Sony A850 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax 645D vs Sony A850 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax 645D Portrait photography features
Sony A850 Portrait photography features
77
focusing manually
amazing megapixels (40 megapixels)
big sensor size (Medium format)
exports RAW files
no liveview
72
has manual focus
megapixel count great (25 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Pentax 645D Street photography information
Sony A850 Street photography information
58
big sensor size (Medium format)
exports RAW files
weather sealing
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Pentax 645D Sports photography advice
Sony A850 Sports photography advice
62
amazing megapixels (40MP)
big sensor size (Medium format)
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
no liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery power (800 shots)
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count great (25MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
environment proofing
has phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Pentax 645D Travel photography info
Sony A850 Travel photography info
55
weather sealing
amazing megapixels (40 megapixels)
not so great battery power (800 per charge)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
55
environment proofing
megapixel count great (25 megapixels)
missing Timelapse function
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax 645D Landscape photography information
Sony A850 Landscape photography information
72
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
amazing megapixels (40MP)
big sensor size (Medium format)
no anti-alias filter
exports RAW files
weather sealing
2 card slots
no liveview
lack of image stabilization
not so great battery power (800 per charge)
73
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count great (25MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
has double storage slots
doesn't have liveview
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax 645D as a Vlogging camera
Sony A850 as a Vlogging camera
9
no video shooting
9
lack of video recording
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Pentax 645D vs Sony A850 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax 645D and Sony A850
 Pentax 645DSony Alpha DSLR-A850
General Information
Brand Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax 645D Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
Class Pro DSLR Advanced DSLR
Announced 2010-03-10 2010-04-15
Body design Large SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Prime II Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Medium format Full frame
Sensor measurements 44 x 33mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 1,452.0mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 40 megapixels 25 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 7264 x 5440 6048 x 4032
Maximum native ISO 1600 3200
Maximum enhanced ISO - 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 200
RAW pictures
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support Pentax 645AF2 Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 6 143
Focal length multiplier 0.8 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 921 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle and with AR coating TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 98% 98%
Viewfinder magnification 0.85x 0.74x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/125s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Maximum video resolution None None
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 1480 gr (3.26 lbs) 895 gr (1.97 lbs)
Dimensions 156 x 117 x 119mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.7") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 82 79
DXO Color Depth rating 24.6 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.6 12.2
DXO Low light rating 1262 1415
Other
Battery life 800 shots 880 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI90 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo
Storage slots Two Two
Cost at release $4,000 $0