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Pentax K-1 II vs Sony HX30V

Portability
55
Imaging
78
Features
82
Overall
79
Pentax K-1 Mark II front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V front
Portability
90
Imaging
42
Features
50
Overall
45

Pentax K-1 II vs Sony HX30V Key Specs

Pentax K-1 II
(Full Review)
  • 36MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 819200
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF4 Mount
  • 1010g - 137 x 110 x 86mm
  • Revealed February 2018
  • Old Model is Pentax K-1
Sony HX30V
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
  • 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
  • Announced February 2012
  • Replaced the Sony HX20V
  • Replacement is Sony HX50V
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Pentax K-1 II vs Sony HX30V Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Pentax K-1 II vs Sony HX30V, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Pentax and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the K-1 II (36MP) and HX30V (18MP) and the K-1 II (Full frame) and HX30V (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor measurements.

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The K-1 II was revealed 6 years later than the HX30V and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Pentax K-1 II being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera.

Before going in to a thorough comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the K-1 II grades against the HX30V with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Pentax K-1 II over the Sony HX30V

 K-1 II HX30V 
AnnouncedFebruary 2018February 2012More recent by 73 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen sizing3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1037k922kSharper screen (+115k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony HX30V over the Pentax K-1 II

 HX30V K-1 II 

Common features in the Pentax K-1 II and Sony HX30V

 K-1 II HX30V 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Lacking Touch friendly screen

Pentax K-1 II vs Sony HX30V Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you'll have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Pentax K-1 II enjoys exterior measurements of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") along with a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs) and the Sony HX30V has dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Check out the Pentax K-1 II vs Sony HX30V in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you use at that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the K-1 II compared to the HX30V.

Pentax K-1 II vs Sony HX30V size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the K-1 II and HX30V is 55 and 90 respectively.

Pentax K-1 II vs Sony HX30V top view buttons comparison

Pentax K-1 II vs Sony HX30V Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is very difficult to see the difference in sensor measurements only by going through specs. The photograph here should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the K-1 II and HX30V.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The K-1 II with its bigger sensor will make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Pentax K-1 II will produce more detail because of its extra 18MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The younger K-1 II will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Pentax K-1 II vs Sony HX30V sensor size comparison

Pentax K-1 II vs Sony HX30V Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax K-1 II vs Sony HX30V Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Pentax K-1 II
Portrait photography with Sony HX30V
86
manual focus
megapixel count excellent (36 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
has face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
45
manual focus
decent MP (18MP)
includes face detect focusing
external flash not possible
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Pentax K-1 II
Street photography with Sony HX30V
70
screen articulates
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
weather proofing
above average high ISO (819,200)
more heavy than average (1,010g)
61
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competitors (254 grams)
screen is fixed
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Pentax K-1 II Sports photography highlights
Sony HX30V Sports photography highlights
77
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count excellent (36MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
supports phase detect auto focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.4 fps)
bad battery life (670 shots)
49
incredible zoom range (25-500mm 20.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18MP)
includes tracking focus
no shutter priority
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Pentax K-1 II
Travel photography with Sony HX30V
53
weather proofing
megapixel count excellent (36MP)
bad battery life (670 CIPA)
more heavy than average (1,010 grams)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
69
lighter than competitors (254g)
decent MP (18MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (25mm)
very long zoom (500mm)
no Timelapse recording
does not feature selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax K-1 II Landscape photography features
Sony HX30V Landscape photography features
82
manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF4 mount)
decent sized screen (3.2 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count excellent (36MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
no anti aliasing filter
above average high ISO (819,200)
delivers RAW formats
weather proofing
two card slots
bad battery life (670 shots)
50
manual focus
pretty wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (18MP)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax K-1 II as a Vlogging camera
Sony HX30V as a Vlogging camera
32
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with microphone socket
does not posses selfie friendly screen
more heavy than average (1,010 grams)
34
pretty wide (25mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competitors (254 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.2)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
no microphone jack
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Pentax K-1 II vs Sony HX30V Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax K-1 II and Sony HX30V
 Pentax K-1 Mark IISony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V
General Information
Company Pentax Sony
Model Pentax K-1 Mark II Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2018-02-22 2012-02-28
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor PRIME IV BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 861.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 36MP 18MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 7360 x 4912 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 819200 12800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 33 9
Cross focus points 25 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Pentax KAF4 fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-500mm (20.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.2-5.8
Macro focus range - 1cm
Available lenses 151 -
Crop factor 1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Screen size 3.2" 3"
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 4.4fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 7.10 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, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/200 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60i, 50i, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless 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 Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Built-in BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 1010g (2.23 pounds) 254g (0.56 pounds)
Dimensions 137 x 110 x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 670 photos 320 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI90 NP-BG1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Dual One
Launch price $1,737 $420