Pentax K100D vs Sony S980

In this article, we are comparing the Pentax K100D versus Sony S980, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Pentax and Sony. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the K100D (6MP) and S980 (12MP) and the K100D (APS-C) and S980 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizing.

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The K100D was manufactured 3 years earlier than the S980 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Pentax K100D being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief summation of how the K100D matches up vs the S980 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax K100D & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The entire galleries are viewable at Pentax K100D Gallery & Sony S980 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera often, you will want to take into account its weight and proportions. The Pentax K100D has got exterior measurements of 129mm x 93mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.8") and a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs) and the Sony S980 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check out the Pentax K100D versus Sony S980 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the K100D against the S980.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the K100D and S980 is 64 and 94 respectively.

More often than not, it can be hard to envision the difference in sensor sizes purely by looking through technical specs. The pic here may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the K100D and S980.

As you can tell, both the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The K100D featuring a larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Sony S980 will render more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images a little more aggressively. The more aged K100D will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.