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Pentax K-30 vs Sony A560

Portability
63
Imaging
57
Features
66
Overall
60
Pentax K-30 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A560 front
Portability
64
Imaging
54
Features
78
Overall
63

Pentax K-30 vs Sony A560 Key Specs

Pentax K-30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 650g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Revealed October 2012
  • Successor is Pentax K-50
Sony A560
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Released August 2010
  • Previous Model is Sony A500
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Pentax K-30 vs Sony A560 Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Pentax K-30 vs Sony A560, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Pentax and Sony. The sensor resolution of the K-30 (16MP) and the A560 (14MP) is very comparable and both cameras posses the identical sensor measurements (APS-C).

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The K-30 was unveiled 2 years after the A560 which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Pentax K-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A560 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a quick view of how the K-30 grades against the A560 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Pentax K-30 over the Sony A560

 K-30 A560 
ReleasedOctober 2012August 2010Newer by 27 months

Reasons to pick Sony A560 over the Pentax K-30

 A560 K-30 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k921kSharper display (+1k dot)

Common features in the Pentax K-30 and Sony A560

 K-30 A560 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Pentax K-30 vs Sony A560 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to travel with your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Pentax K-30 has outer measurements of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs) whilst the Sony A560 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Compare the Pentax K-30 vs Sony A560 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the K-30 versus the A560.

Pentax K-30 vs Sony A560 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the K-30 and A560 is 63 and 64 respectively.

Pentax K-30 vs Sony A560 top view buttons comparison

Pentax K-30 vs Sony A560 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is tough to envision the difference in sensor dimensions just by going through a spec sheet. The picture here will provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the K-30 and A560.

Clearly, both cameras come with the identical sensor size but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Pentax K-30 to show extra detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The fresher K-30 will have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Pentax K-30 vs Sony A560 sensor size comparison

Pentax K-30 vs Sony A560 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax K-30 vs Sony A560 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax K-30 Portrait photography advice
Sony A560 Portrait photography advice
74
has manual focus
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
72
manual focus
decent MP (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Pentax K-30 Street photography factors
Sony A560 Street photography factors
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
no articulating screen
75
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Pentax K-30 Sports photography highlights
Sony A560 Sports photography highlights
67
high shutter speed (1/6,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proof
supports phase detect AF
very slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
terrible battery life (410 CIPA)
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
great battery pack (1,050 CIPA)
comes with phase detect AF
max fps very slow (5.0 fps)
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Travel Comparison

Pentax K-30 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A560 as a Travel photography camera
60
environment proof
resolution is good (16MP)
built-in flash
terrible battery life (410 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
60
great battery pack (1,050 shots)
decent MP (14MP)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax K-30 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A560 Landscape photography highlights
73
has manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
environment proof
terrible battery life (410 CIPA)
73
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
great battery pack (1,050 shots)
two card slots
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax K-30 Vlogging info
Sony A560 Vlogging info
30
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic support
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have microphone socket
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Pentax K-30 vs Sony A560 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax K-30 and Sony A560
 Pentax K-30Sony Alpha DSLR-A560
General Information
Manufacturer Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax K-30 Sony Alpha DSLR-A560
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2012-10-29 2010-08-24
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Prime M Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.7 x 15.7mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 372.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4928 x 3264 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 12800 12800
Highest enhanced ISO 25600 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 15
Cross type focus points 9 3
Lens
Lens mount type Pentax KAF2 Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 151 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 921 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.61x 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/6000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 6.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye,Slow Sync, Slow Sync+ Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/180 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50,30,25,24 fps), 640 x 424 (30,25,24 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 650 gr (1.43 pounds) 599 gr (1.32 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 79 70
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.0 12.3
DXO Low light rating 1129 817
Other
Battery life 410 pictures 1050 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI109,4 x AA NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Dual
Launch pricing $525 $650