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Pentax 645Z vs Pentax W90

Portability
49
Imaging
80
Features
74
Overall
77
Pentax 645Z front
 
Pentax Optio W90 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax W90 Key Specs

Pentax 645Z
(Full Review)
  • 51MP - Medium format Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 204800
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax 645AF2 Mount
  • 1550g - 156 x 117 x 123mm
  • Launched April 2014
  • Superseded the Pentax 645D
Pentax W90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 164g - 108 x 59 x 25mm
  • Released February 2010
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Pentax 645Z vs Pentax W90 Overview

In this article, we will be evaluating the Pentax 645Z vs Pentax W90, former being a Pro DSLR while the latter is a Waterproof and both are manufactured by Pentax. There is a considerable difference among the image resolutions of the 645Z (51MP) and W90 (12MP) and the 645Z (Medium format) and W90 (1/2.3") come with different sensor dimensions.

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The 645Z was revealed 4 years later than the W90 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Pentax 645Z being a Large SLR camera and the Pentax W90 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a complete comparison, below is a brief view of how the 645Z scores against the W90 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Pentax 645Z over the Pentax W90

 645Z W90 
ReleasedApril 2014February 2010More recent by 51 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3.2"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution1037k230kCrisper screen (+807k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax W90 over the Pentax 645Z

 W90 645Z 

Common features in the Pentax 645Z and Pentax W90

 645Z W90 
Manual focus More exact focus
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax W90 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Pentax 645Z has external dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") along with a weight of 1550 grams (3.42 lbs) whilst the Pentax W90 has measurements of 108mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") with a weight of 164 grams (0.36 lbs).

Check the Pentax 645Z vs Pentax W90 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is the front view size comparison of the 645Z vs the W90.

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax W90 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the 645Z and W90 is 49 and 94 respectively.

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax W90 top view buttons comparison

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax W90 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very difficult to picture the gap in sensor measurements merely by going through specs. The graphic below will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the 645Z and W90.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The 645Z using its bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field simpler and the Pentax 645Z will produce greater detail because of its extra 39MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The younger 645Z should have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax W90 sensor size comparison

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax W90 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax 645Z vs Pentax W90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax 645Z as a Portrait photography camera
Pentax W90 as a Portrait photography camera
88
manual focus
MP count great (51MP)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
27
focusing manually
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
low MP (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Street Comparison

Pentax 645Z Street photography highlights
Pentax W90 Street photography highlights
63
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is large (Medium format)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
good ISO range (204,800)
no image stabilization
heavier than others in class (1,550g)
54
environment proofing
fixed screen
no image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Pentax 645Z Sports photography details
Pentax W90 Sports photography details
71
MP count great (51 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
has tracking focus
environment proofing
has phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
no image stabilization
terrible battery (650 CIPA)
24
environment proofing
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Pentax 645Z Travel photography features
Pentax W90 Travel photography features
51
environment proofing
MP count great (51 megapixels)
terrible battery (650 CIPA)
heavier than others in class (1,550 grams)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
64
environment proofing
built-in flash
decently wide (28mm)
low MP (12MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax 645Z Landscape photography info
Pentax W90 Landscape photography info
78
manual focus
change lenses (Pentax 645AF2 mount)
screen size is decent (3.2 inches)
MP count great (51MP)
sensor size is large (Medium format)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
good ISO range (204,800)
saves RAW formats
environment proofing
has dual storage slots
no image stabilization
terrible battery (650 per charge)
37
focusing manually
decently wide (28mm)
environment proofing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7 inches)
lack of manual exposure
no image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax 645Z Vlogging features
Pentax W90 Vlogging features
27
has face detect autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
has mic jack
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
heavier than others in class (1,550g)
25
decently wide (28mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic support
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Pentax 645Z vs Pentax W90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax 645Z and Pentax W90
 Pentax 645ZPentax Optio W90
General Information
Brand Pentax Pentax
Model type Pentax 645Z Pentax Optio W90
Type Pro DSLR Waterproof
Launched 2014-04-15 2010-02-24
Physical type Large SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor PRIME III Prime
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Medium format 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 44 x 33mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 1,452.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 51 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 8256 x 6192 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 204800 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 27 9
Lens
Lens mount type Pentax 645AF2 fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Available lenses 6 -
Focal length multiplier 0.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3.2 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.85x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 4s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1500s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash modes 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
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/125s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p,24p) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 1550g (3.42 pounds) 164g (0.36 pounds)
Dimensions 156 x 117 x 123mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 4.8") 108 x 59 x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 101 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 26.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 14.7 not tested
DXO Low light rating 4505 not tested
Other
Battery life 650 photos -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery ID D-LI90 D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots SD/SDHC card, Internal
Card slots Dual One
Retail cost $5,024 $120