Pentax K-1 vs Sony A290

Its time to look much closer at the Pentax K-1 vs Sony A290, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Pentax and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the K-1 (36MP) and A290 (14MP) and the K-1 (Full frame) and A290 (APS-C) have different sensor measurements.

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The K-1 was manufactured 5 years later than the A290 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Pentax K-1 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving into a full comparison, here is a short introduction of how the K-1 matches up versus the A290 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax K-1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The entire galleries are viewable at Pentax K-1 Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.

If you're aiming to carry your camera, you will have to take into account its weight and volume. The Pentax K-1 provides physical dimensions of 137mm x 110mm x 86mm (5.4" x 4.3" x 3.4") along with a weight of 1010 grams (2.23 lbs) while the Sony A290 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") having a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Check the Pentax K-1 vs Sony A290 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the K-1 versus the A290.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the K-1 and A290 is 55 and 66 respectively.

Typically, it is difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizing only by researching specs. The graphic underneath may give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the K-1 and A290.

All in all, both of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The K-1 because of its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Pentax K-1 will provide you with greater detail due to its extra 22 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The more modern K-1 provides an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.