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Pentax K-7 vs Sony A500

Portability
60
Imaging
53
Features
69
Overall
59
Pentax K-7 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
51
Features
52
Overall
51

Pentax K-7 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Pentax K-7
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 2000 (Bump to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 750g - 131 x 97 x 73mm
  • Introduced October 2009
  • Updated by Pentax K-5
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Introduced August 2009
  • Later Model is Sony A560
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Pentax K-7 vs Sony A500 Overview

Following is a complete assessment of the Pentax K-7 vs Sony A500, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Pentax and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the K-7 (15MP) and A500 (12MP) but they enjoy the exact same sensor sizing (APS-C).

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The K-7 was revealed 2 months after the A500 which means that they are of a similar age. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Pentax K-7 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go in to a complete comparison, below is a simple overview of how the K-7 scores vs the A500 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Pentax K-7 over the Sony A500

 K-7 A500 
Screen resolution921k230kSharper screen (+691k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Pentax K-7

 A500 K-7 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Pentax K-7 and Sony A500

 K-7 A500 
IntroducedOctober 2009August 2009Same age
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Pentax K-7 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry around your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Pentax K-7 has got physical measurements of 131mm x 97mm x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 750 grams (1.65 lbs) while the Sony A500 has specifications of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax K-7 vs Sony A500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at that time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the K-7 compared to the A500.

Pentax K-7 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the K-7 and A500 is 60 and 63 respectively.

Pentax K-7 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Pentax K-7 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizes purely by researching specifications. The pic here may give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the K-7 and A500.

Plainly, both of those cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You can count on the Pentax K-7 to provide you with more detail because of its extra 3MP. Higher resolution will let you crop shots much more aggressively.

Pentax K-7 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Pentax K-7 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax K-7 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax K-7 Portrait photography advice
Sony A500 Portrait photography advice
71
has manual focus
resolution is good (15 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detect focus
delivers RAW files
62
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Pentax K-7 Street photography details
Sony A500 Street photography details
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
screen is fixed
74
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Pentax K-7 Sports photography advice
Sony A500 Sports photography advice
69
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (15MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
weather proof
supports phase detect auto focus
slow frames per second (5.0 fps)
50
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
max frames per second low (5.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
not so great battery life (520 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Pentax K-7 Travel photography advice
Sony A500 Travel photography advice
64
weather proof
resolution is good (15 megapixels)
built-in flash
display isn't selfie friendly
43
flash built-in
missing Timelapse function
not so great battery life (520 CIPA)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Pentax K-7
Landscape photography with Sony A500
77
has manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen is a good size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (15MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
60
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery life (520 shots)
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax K-7 Vlogging information
Sony A500 Vlogging information
25
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focus
display isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing microphone support
9
no video
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Pentax K-7 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax K-7 and Sony A500
 Pentax K-7Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Brand Name Pentax Sony
Model Pentax K-7 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2009-10-02 2009-08-27
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Prime II Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 365.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 15MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4672 x 3104 4272 x 2848
Highest native ISO 2000 12800
Highest enhanced ISO 6400 -
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount Pentax KAF2 Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 151 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 921 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech TFT color LCD with AR coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.61x 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 13.00 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/180s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 1536 x 1024 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video format Motion JPEG -
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 750 gr (1.65 lbs) 630 gr (1.39 lbs)
Dimensions 131 x 97 x 73mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 2.9") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 61 64
DXO Color Depth score 22.6 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.6 11.6
DXO Low light score 536 772
Other
Battery life 980 images 520 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI90 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/MMC SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch pricing $599 $638