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Pentax K20D vs Sony A850

Portability
59
Imaging
54
Features
52
Overall
53
Pentax K20D front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64

Pentax K20D vs Sony A850 Key Specs

Pentax K20D
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200 (Increase to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 800g - 142 x 101 x 70mm
  • Introduced June 2008
  • Superseded the Pentax K10D
Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Push to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Launched April 2010
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Pentax K20D vs Sony A850 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Pentax K20D versus Sony A850, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by competitors Pentax and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the K20D (15MP) and A850 (25MP) and the K20D (APS-C) and A850 (Full frame) boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The K20D was launched 21 months before the A850 making them a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before delving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short overview of how the K20D matches up against the A850 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Pentax K20D over the Sony A850

 K20D A850 

Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Pentax K20D

 A850 K20D 
LaunchedApril 2010June 2008More modern by 21 months
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kSharper display (+692k dot)

Common features in the Pentax K20D and Sony A850

 K20D A850 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch display Neither offers Touch display

Pentax K20D vs Sony A850 Physical Comparison

If you're planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and size. The Pentax K20D offers outer measurements of 142mm x 101mm x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8") having a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) whilst the Sony A850 has specifications of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") along with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

See the Pentax K20D versus Sony A850 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing during that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the K20D compared to the A850.

Pentax K20D vs Sony A850 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the K20D and A850 is 59 and 54 respectively.

Pentax K20D vs Sony A850 top view buttons comparison

Pentax K20D vs Sony A850 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its hard to envision the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading through specifications. The picture here should offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the K20D and A850.

Plainly, the two cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The K20D featuring a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A850 will give more detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more aged K20D is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Pentax K20D vs Sony A850 sensor size comparison

Pentax K20D vs Sony A850 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax K20D vs Sony A850 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax K20D Portrait photography info
Sony A850 Portrait photography info
72
has manual focus
megapixel count good (15MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
72
you can focus manually
amazing resolution (25 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
no liveview feature
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Street Comparison

Pentax K20D Street photography highlights
Sony A850 Street photography highlights
65
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
no moving screen
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
environment proof
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Pentax K20D
Sports photography with Sony A850
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (15 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
environment sealing
has phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
71
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
amazing resolution (25 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
environment proof
has phase detect AF
no liveview feature
low fps (3.0 frames per second)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Pentax K20D
Travel photography with Sony A850
64
environment sealing
megapixel count good (15 megapixels)
built-in flash
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
55
environment proof
amazing resolution (25MP)
lack of Timelapse function
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax K20D Landscape photography highlights
Sony A850 Landscape photography highlights
71
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (15 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
environment sealing
small screen (2.7")
73
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
amazing resolution (25 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
environment proof
2 card slots
no liveview feature
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax K20D Vlogging details
Sony A850 Vlogging details
9
no video recording
9
no video shooting
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Pentax K20D vs Sony A850 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax K20D and Sony A850
 Pentax K20DSony Alpha DSLR-A850
General Information
Brand Name Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax K20D Sony Alpha DSLR-A850
Type Advanced DSLR Advanced DSLR
Introduced 2008-06-25 2010-04-15
Physical type Mid-size SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Full frame
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 15 megapixels 25 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4672 x 3104 6048 x 4032
Maximum native ISO 3200 3200
Maximum boosted ISO 6400 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support Pentax KAF2 Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 151 143
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 98%
Viewfinder magnification 0.64x 0.74x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 13.00 m (at ISO 100) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/180s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Maximum video resolution None None
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 800g (1.76 pounds) 895g (1.97 pounds)
Physical dimensions 142 x 101 x 70mm (5.6" x 4.0" x 2.8") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 65 79
DXO Color Depth rating 22.9 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.1 12.2
DXO Low light rating 639 1415
Other
Battery life - 880 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI50 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/MMC/SDHC card Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo
Card slots Single Two
Retail pricing $700 $0