Pentax E85 vs Sony HX20V
95 Imaging
34 Features
10 Overall
24


90 Imaging
41 Features
50 Overall
44
Pentax E85 vs Sony HX20V Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 3200
- 640 x 480 video
- 32-96mm (F2.9-5.2) lens
- 145g - 93 x 58 x 24mm
- Released September 2009
(Full Review)
- 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 12800
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-500mm (F3.2-5.8) lens
- 254g - 107 x 62 x 35mm
- Announced July 2012
- Replaced the Sony HX10V
- Later Model is Sony HX30V

Pentax E85 vs Sony HX20V Overview
The following is a comprehensive review of the Pentax E85 and Sony HX20V, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Pentax and Sony. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the E85 (12MP) and HX20V (18MP) but they come with the same exact sensor sizing (1/2.3").

The E85 was manufactured 3 years earlier than the HX20V which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).
Before we go through a full comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E85 matches up versus the HX20V in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Pentax E85 vs Sony HX20V Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax Optio E85 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V. The entire galleries are viewable at Pentax E85 Gallery and Sony HX20V Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax E85 over the Sony HX20V
E85 | HX20V |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony HX20V over the Pentax E85
HX20V | E85 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | July 2012 | ![]() | September 2009 | Newer by 34 months |
Manually focus | ![]() | More accurate focusing | ||
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 922k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+692k dot) |
Common features in the Pentax E85 and Sony HX20V
E85 | HX20V | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither offers selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Lack of Touch friendly display |
Pentax E85 vs Sony HX20V Physical Comparison
For anybody who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to think about its weight and proportions. The Pentax E85 offers external measurements of 93mm x 58mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.9") with a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs) whilst the Sony HX20V has measurements of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") with a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).
Compare the Pentax E85 and Sony HX20V in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are using at the time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E85 versus the HX20V.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E85 and HX20V is 95 and 90 respectively.

Pentax E85 vs Sony HX20V Sensor Comparison
Generally, it is very hard to picture the gap between sensor dimensions simply by looking at specs. The image below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E85 and HX20V.
As you can plainly see, both the cameras offer the same exact sensor sizing but different MP. You should expect to see the Sony HX20V to give you more detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a little more aggressively. The more aged E85 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Pentax E85 vs Sony HX20V Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax E85 vs Sony HX20V Specifications
Pentax Optio E85 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Pentax | Sony |
Model type | Pentax Optio E85 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V |
Type | Small Sensor Compact | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Released | 2009-09-17 | 2012-07-20 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor Chip | - | BIONZ |
Sensor type | CCD | BSI-CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixels | 18 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 4:3 and 16:9 |
Highest Possible resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 4896 x 3672 |
Maximum native ISO | 3200 | 12800 |
Minimum native ISO | 80 | 100 |
RAW files | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Total focus points | - | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | 32-96mm (3.0x) | 25-500mm (20.0x) |
Largest aperture | f/2.9-5.2 | f/3.2-5.8 |
Macro focusing distance | 10cm | 1cm |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Display size | 2.7" | 3" |
Display resolution | 230k dots | 922k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch function | ||
Display technology | - | XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | None |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 2s | 30s |
Max shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/1600s |
Continuous shutter rate | 1.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 3.00 m | 7.10 m |
Flash settings | - | Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 640x480 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 145 grams (0.32 pounds) | 254 grams (0.56 pounds) |
Dimensions | 93 x 58 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.9") | 107 x 62 x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 320 images |
Type of battery | - | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | D-LI95 | NP-BG1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC, Internal | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | One | One |
Retail pricing | $0 | $397 |