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Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax W90

Portability
84
Imaging
37
Features
60
Overall
46
Pentax MX-1 front
 
Pentax Optio W90 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax W90 Key Specs

Pentax MX-1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 391g - 122 x 61 x 51mm
  • Introduced July 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 MX-1 vs Pentax W90 Overview

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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Pentax MX-1 over the Pentax W90

 MX-1 W90 
IntroducedJuly 2013February 2010More recent by 41 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kSharper screen (+690k dot)

Reasons to pick Pentax W90 over the Pentax MX-1

 W90 MX-1 

Common features in the Pentax MX-1 and Pentax W90

 MX-1 W90 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch screen Absent Touch screen

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax W90 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax W90 size comparison

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

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax W90 top view buttons comparison

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax W90 Sensor Comparison

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.

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax W90 sensor size comparison

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax W90 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax W90 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Portrait photography features
Pentax W90 Portrait photography features
42
has manual focus
supports face detection focus
saves RAW formats
can't use external flash
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
27
focusing manually
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
low resolution sensor (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Pentax MX-1
Street photography with Pentax W90
65
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
more heavy than competition in class (391g)
54
environment sealing
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Pentax MX-1
Sports photography with Pentax W90
43
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports tracking autofocus
great battery (290 per charge)
slow frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
has no phase detect auto focus
24
environment sealing
continuous shooting slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Travel photography highlights
Pentax W90 Travel photography highlights
61
great battery (290 CIPA)
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
missing Timelapse function
more heavy than competition in class (391g)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
64
environment sealing
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Landscape photography advice
Pentax W90 Landscape photography advice
55
has manual focus
relatively wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
saves RAW formats
great battery (290 shots)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
missing Timelapse function
37
focusing manually
rather wide (28mm)
environment sealing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not possible
no image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Pentax MX-1
Vlogging with Pentax W90
33
relatively wide (28mm)
very good max aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
missing external microphone port
more heavy than competition in class (391g)
25
rather wide (28mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have mic jack
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Pentax MX-1 vs Pentax W90 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax MX-1 and Pentax W90
 Pentax MX-1Pentax Optio W90
General Information
Brand Pentax Pentax
Model type Pentax MX-1 Pentax Optio W90
Type Small Sensor Compact Waterproof
Introduced 2013-07-01 2010-02-24
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Prime
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 12800 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 28-140mm (5.0x)
Max aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/3.5-5.5
Macro focusing range 1cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 4.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 920 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology TFT LCD with AR coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 4s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1500s
Continuous shutter speed 1.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 3.90 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Speed sync, Trailing Curtain sync Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 391 gr (0.86 lb) 164 gr (0.36 lb)
Dimensions 122 x 61 x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") 108 x 59 x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 49 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 208 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 images -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID D-Li-106 D-LI68
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC card, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $400 $120