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Pentax K-500 vs Pentax W90

Portability
64
Imaging
58
Features
70
Overall
62
Pentax K-500 front
 
Pentax Optio W90 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29

Pentax K-500 vs Pentax W90 Key Specs

Pentax K-500
(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
  • 646g - 130 x 97 x 71mm
  • Announced November 2013
Pentax W90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 164g - 108 x 59 x 25mm
  • Introduced February 2010
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Pentax K-500 vs Pentax W90 Overview

Let's look much closer at the Pentax K-500 and Pentax W90, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Waterproof and both are built by Pentax. There is a sizeable difference among the resolutions of the K-500 (16MP) and W90 (12MP) and the K-500 (APS-C) and W90 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizing.

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The K-500 was brought out 3 years later than the W90 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Pentax W90 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a in-depth comparison, below is a concise summary of how the K-500 grades versus the W90 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Pentax K-500 over the Pentax W90

 K-500 W90 
IntroducedNovember 2013February 2010Fresher by 46 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kSharper screen (+691k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax W90 over the Pentax K-500

 W90 K-500 

Common features in the Pentax K-500 and Pentax W90

 K-500 W90 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Pentax K-500 vs Pentax W90 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry your camera, you have to think about its weight and volume. The Pentax K-500 comes with physical dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs) while the Pentax W90 has sizing of 108mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") along with a weight of 164 grams (0.36 lbs).

Look at the Pentax K-500 and Pentax W90 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is the front view scale comparison of the K-500 and the W90.

Pentax K-500 vs Pentax W90 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the K-500 and W90 is 64 and 94 respectively.

Pentax K-500 vs Pentax W90 top view buttons comparison

Pentax K-500 vs Pentax W90 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizing purely by going through specs. The photograph underneath might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the K-500 and W90.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The K-500 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Pentax K-500 will show more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The more recent K-500 provides an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Pentax K-500 vs Pentax W90 sensor size comparison

Pentax K-500 vs Pentax W90 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax K-500 vs Pentax W90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax K-500 Portrait photography info
Pentax W90 Portrait photography info
74
manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
27
has manual focus
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Pentax K-500
Street photography with Pentax W90
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
above average high ISO (51,600)
fixed screen
54
weather proofing
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Pentax K-500 as a Sports photography camera
Pentax W90 as a Sports photography camera
72
high shutter speed (1/6,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
great battery power (710 shots)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
max frames per second low (6.0 frames/s)
24
weather proofing
slow fps (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Pentax K-500 Travel photography factors
Pentax W90 Travel photography factors
67
great battery power (710 per charge)
megapixel count good (16MP)
has built in flash
display isn't selfie friendly
64
weather proofing
has built in flash
decently wide (28mm)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax K-500 as a Landscape photography camera
Pentax W90 as a Landscape photography camera
79
manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
above average high ISO (51,600)
exports RAW files
great battery power (710 CIPA)
37
has manual focus
decently wide (28mm)
weather proofing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inches)
lack of manual exposure
no image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Pentax K-500
Vlogging with Pentax W90
30
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have mic socket
25
decently wide (28mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
doesn't have microphone jack
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Pentax K-500 vs Pentax W90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax K-500 and Pentax W90
 Pentax K-500Pentax Optio W90
General Information
Company Pentax Pentax
Model type Pentax K-500 Pentax Optio W90
Type Entry-Level DSLR Waterproof
Announced 2013-11-27 2010-02-24
Body design Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor PRIME M Prime
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.7 x 15.7mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 372.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4928 x 3264 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 51600 6400
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 11 9
Cross type focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens support Pentax KAF2 fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Available lenses 151 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 921k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT LCD monitor with brightness/color adjustment and AR coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.61x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/6000 secs 1/1500 secs
Continuous shooting speed 6.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.90 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync+Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 646 grams (1.42 lbs) 164 grams (0.36 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 97 x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") 108 x 59 x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 79 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.1 not tested
DXO Low light rating 1087 not tested
Other
Battery life 710 photographs -
Battery format AA -
Battery ID 4 x AA D-LI68
Self timer Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail price $600 $120