Pentax K-50 vs Sony HX1
63 Imaging
58 Features
65 Overall
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67 Imaging
32 Features
36 Overall
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Pentax K-50 vs Sony HX1 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 51600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Pentax KAF2 Mount
- 650g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
- Revealed November 2013
- Previous Model is Pentax K-30
(Full Review)
- 9MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 125 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1440 x 1080 video
- 28-560mm (F2.8-5.2) lens
- 544g - 115 x 83 x 92mm
- Launched April 2009

Pentax K-50 vs Sony HX1 Overview
Let's look a little more closely at the Pentax K-50 vs Sony HX1, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Pentax and Sony. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the K-50 (16MP) and HX1 (9MP) and the K-50 (APS-C) and HX1 (1/2.4") feature different sensor sizes.

The K-50 was launched 4 years after the HX1 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Pentax K-50 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony HX1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.
Before getting in to a thorough comparison, below is a short view of how the K-50 grades vs the HX1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Pentax K-50 vs Sony HX1 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax K-50 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1. The complete galleries are viewable at Pentax K-50 Gallery & Sony HX1 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax K-50 over the Sony HX1
K-50 | HX1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | November 2013 | ![]() | April 2009 | Newer by 56 months |
Display resolution | 921k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+691k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony HX1 over the Pentax K-50
HX1 | K-50 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Common features in the Pentax K-50 and Sony HX1
K-50 | HX1 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very exact focusing | ||
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical display dimensions |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Absent selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Neither has Touch friendly display |
Pentax K-50 vs Sony HX1 Physical Comparison
If you're planning to travel with your camera often, you will have to factor in its weight and volume. The Pentax K-50 has outer dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs) and the Sony HX1 has sizing of 115mm x 83mm x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") with a weight of 544 grams (1.20 lbs).
Check out the Pentax K-50 vs Sony HX1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the K-50 and the HX1.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the K-50 and HX1 is 63 and 67 respectively.

Pentax K-50 vs Sony HX1 Sensor Comparison
Sometimes, its tough to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by looking at a spec sheet. The pic underneath will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the K-50 and HX1.
Clearly, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The K-50 because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Pentax K-50 will give you more detail utilizing its extra 7MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos much more aggressively. The newer K-50 provides an edge in sensor technology.

Pentax K-50 vs Sony HX1 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax K-50 vs Sony HX1 Specifications
Pentax K-50 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand Name | Pentax | Sony |
Model | Pentax K-50 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 |
Type | Entry-Level DSLR | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Revealed | 2013-11-27 | 2009-04-22 |
Physical type | Compact SLR | SLR-like (bridge) |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | PRIME M | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | APS-C | 1/2.4" |
Sensor dimensions | 23.7 x 15.7mm | 6.104 x 4.578mm |
Sensor area | 372.1mm² | 27.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 9 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4928 x 3264 | 3456 x 2592 |
Max native ISO | 51600 | 3200 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 125 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Autofocus single | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Number of focus points | 11 | 9 |
Cross focus points | 9 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Pentax KAF2 | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | - | 28-560mm (20.0x) |
Highest aperture | - | f/2.8-5.2 |
Macro focus distance | - | 1cm |
Number of lenses | 151 | - |
Crop factor | 1.5 | 5.9 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 921 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Display technology | TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentaprism) | Electronic |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | - |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.61x | - |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
Highest shutter speed | 1/6000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shooting rate | 6.0 frames/s | 10.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 9.20 m |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Front Curtain, Rear Curtain |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Highest flash synchronize | 1/180 seconds | - |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported 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) | 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1440x1080 |
Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264 | H.264 |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
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 proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 650g (1.43 lb) | 544g (1.20 lb) |
Dimensions | 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") | 115 x 83 x 92mm (4.5" x 3.3" x 3.6") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 79 | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | 23.7 | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | 13.0 | not tested |
DXO Low light score | 1120 | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | 410 photographs | - |
Form of battery | Battery Pack | - |
Battery model | D-LI109 | NP-FH50 |
Self timer | Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at launch | $610 | $47,999 |