Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax W90

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Pentax MX-1 versus Pentax W90, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Waterproof and they are both designed by Pentax. The image resolution of the MX-1 (12MP) and the W90 (12MP) is relatively close but the MX-1 (1/1.7") and W90 (1/2.3") feature different sensor sizes.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The MX-1 was brought out 3 years later than the W90 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before going through a detailed comparison, below is a quick summation of how the MX-1 matches up against the W90 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax MX-1 and Pentax Optio W90. The entire galleries are provided at Pentax MX-1 Gallery and Pentax W90 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera often, you'll need to factor its weight and proportions. The Pentax MX-1 enjoys external measurements of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") with a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs) while the Pentax W90 has measurements of 108mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") and a weight of 164 grams (0.36 lbs).

Check out the Pentax MX-1 versus Pentax W90 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the MX-1 compared to the W90.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the MX-1 and W90 is 84 and 94 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements simply by looking through technical specs. The photograph here should give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the MX-1 and W90.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have got the exact same megapixels albeit different sensor measurements. The MX-1 has got the bigger sensor which will make obtaining shallower DOF simpler. The newer MX-1 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.