Clicky

Pentax K-5 II vs Sony A230

Portability
60
Imaging
58
Features
82
Overall
67
Pentax K-5 II front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A230 front
Portability
69
Imaging
50
Features
40
Overall
46

Pentax K-5 II vs Sony A230 Key Specs

Pentax K-5 II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Boost to 51200)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 760g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Launched June 2013
  • Older Model is Pentax K-5
Sony A230
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 490g - 128 x 97 x 68mm
  • Launched May 2009
  • Replaced the Sony A200
  • Updated by Sony A290
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Pentax K-5 II vs Sony A230 Overview

Following is a in-depth assessment of the Pentax K-5 II and Sony A230, one is a Advanced DSLR and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Pentax and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the image resolutions of the K-5 II (16MP) and A230 (10MP) but they feature the exact same sensor dimensions (APS-C).

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The K-5 II was unveiled 4 years after the A230 which is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Pentax K-5 II being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A230 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go through a full comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the K-5 II scores vs the A230 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone
	
	

Reasons to pick Pentax K-5 II over the Sony A230

 K-5 II A230 
LaunchedJune 2013May 2009More modern by 50 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kClearer screen (+691k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A230 over the Pentax K-5 II

 A230 K-5 II 

Common features in the Pentax K-5 II and Sony A230

 K-5 II A230 
Focus manually Very precise focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Pentax K-5 II vs Sony A230 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry around your camera, you need to think about its weight and measurements. The Pentax K-5 II has got external measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 760 grams (1.68 lbs) while the Sony A230 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 490 grams (1.08 lbs).

Look at the Pentax K-5 II and Sony A230 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the K-5 II against the A230.

Pentax K-5 II vs Sony A230 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the K-5 II and A230 is 60 and 69 respectively.

Pentax K-5 II vs Sony A230 top view buttons comparison

Pentax K-5 II vs Sony A230 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its difficult to see the gap between sensor sizes merely by going over specs. The image here should give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the K-5 II and A230.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same megapixels. You should expect the Pentax K-5 II to offer more detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The more recent K-5 II is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Pentax K-5 II vs Sony A230 sensor size comparison

Pentax K-5 II vs Sony A230 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax K-5 II vs Sony A230 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax K-5 II as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A230 as a Portrait photography camera
74
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
54
manual focus
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
no liveview
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Street photography with Pentax K-5 II
Street photography with Sony A230
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
fixed screen
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
no moving screen
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Sports Comparison

Pentax K-5 II as a Sports photography camera
Sony A230 as a Sports photography camera
79
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
offers tracking autofocus
environment proofing
sensor has phase detect auto focus
46
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
no liveview
low frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (230 CIPA)
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Travel Comparison

Pentax K-5 II as a Travel photography camera
Sony A230 as a Travel photography camera
65
environment proofing
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
built-in flash
screen is not selfie friendly
45
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
not so great battery pack (230 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Pentax K-5 II Landscape photography details
Sony A230 Landscape photography details
79
has manual focus
change lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
51
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
small screen (2.7")
no liveview
sensor resolution low (10MP)
not so great battery pack (230 shots)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax K-5 II Vlogging factors
Sony A230 Vlogging factors
33
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes external microphone support
screen is not selfie friendly
9
can't record video
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Pentax K-5 II vs Sony A230 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax K-5 II and Sony A230
 Pentax K-5 IISony Alpha DSLR-A230
General Information
Brand Name Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax K-5 II Sony Alpha DSLR-A230
Type Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2013-06-04 2009-05-18
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Prime II Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.7 x 15.7mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 372.1mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4928 x 3264 3872 x 2592
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Maximum enhanced ISO 51200 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO 80 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 11 9
Cross type focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens support Pentax KAF2 Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 151 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 921k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology TFT LCD monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.61x 0.55x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 7.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) 10.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, High speed, Rear curtain and Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (25 fps), 1280 x 720 (25, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (25, 30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
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 760 grams (1.68 pounds) 490 grams (1.08 pounds)
Dimensions 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") 128 x 97 x 68mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 82 63
DXO Color Depth rating 23.8 22.3
DXO Dynamic range rating 14.1 11.4
DXO Low light rating 1235 531
Other
Battery life 980 photographs 230 photographs
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI90 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots One One
Cost at release $830 $569