Pentax E90 vs Sony RX10

Here, we are looking at the Pentax E90 and Sony RX10, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Pentax and Sony. There exists a significant gap among the resolutions of the E90 (10MP) and RX10 (20MP) and the E90 (1/2.3") and RX10 (1") boast different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E90 was launched 5 years before the RX10 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Pentax E90 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX10 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going into a detailed comparison, here is a short summation of how the E90 matches up versus the RX10 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax Optio E90 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10. The complete galleries are viewable at Pentax E90 Gallery and Sony RX10 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and measurements. The Pentax E90 provides outer measurements of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") having a weight of 145 grams (0.32 lbs) whilst the Sony RX10 has proportions of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") with a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Check out the Pentax E90 and Sony RX10 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are using at that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the E90 versus the RX10.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E90 and RX10 is 94 and 58 respectively.

More often than not, its hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizes just by looking through a spec sheet. The image here should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E90 and RX10.

Clearly, both of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E90 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony RX10 will render more detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more aged E90 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.