Clicky

Pentax H90 vs Sony HX300

Portability
93
Imaging
35
Features
24
Overall
30
Pentax Optio H90 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 front
Portability
63
Imaging
45
Features
51
Overall
47

Pentax H90 vs Sony HX300 Key Specs

Pentax H90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
  • 153g - 101 x 65 x 28mm
  • Revealed January 2010
Sony HX300
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1200mm (F2.8-6.3) lens
  • 623g - 130 x 103 x 93mm
  • Announced February 2013
  • Succeeded the Sony HX200V
  • Renewed by Sony HX400V
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Pentax H90 vs Sony HX300 Overview

Below, we will be reviewing the Pentax H90 versus Sony HX300, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Pentax and Sony. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the H90 (12MP) and HX300 (20MP) but they use the exact same sensor size (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The H90 was brought out 4 years before the HX300 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Pentax H90 being a Compact camera and the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the H90 scores against the HX300 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes
	
	

Reasons to pick Pentax H90 over the Sony HX300

 H90 HX300 

Reasons to pick Sony HX300 over the Pentax H90

 HX300 H90 
AnnouncedFebruary 2013January 2010Fresher by 37 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution921k230kCrisper screen (+691k dot)

Common features in the Pentax H90 and Sony HX300

 H90 HX300 
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch screen Missing Touch screen

Pentax H90 vs Sony HX300 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry your camera often, you have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Pentax H90 provides outer measurements of 101mm x 65mm x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1") with a weight of 153 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Sony HX300 has dimensions of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") with a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs).

Look at the Pentax H90 versus Sony HX300 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the H90 compared to the HX300.

Pentax H90 vs Sony HX300 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the H90 and HX300 is 93 and 63 respectively.

Pentax H90 vs Sony HX300 top view buttons comparison

Pentax H90 vs Sony HX300 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's tough to see the difference between sensor sizing just by checking specifications. The photograph below should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the H90 and HX300.

Plainly, the two cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same resolution. You can expect the Sony HX300 to give you greater detail having its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older H90 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Pentax H90 vs Sony HX300 sensor size comparison

Pentax H90 vs Sony HX300 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax H90 vs Sony HX300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax H90 Portrait photography advice
Sony HX300 Portrait photography advice
27
has manual focus
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
43
manual focus
good MP (20MP)
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Street Comparison

Street photography with Pentax H90
Street photography with Sony HX300
56
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
50
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
more heavy than competitors in class (623g)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Pentax H90 Sports photography features
Sony HX300 Sports photography features
31
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (1.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
55
great zoom range (24-1200mm 50.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20MP)
offers tracking focus
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Travel Comparison

Pentax H90 Travel photography factors
Sony HX300 Travel photography factors
57
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
54
good MP (20MP)
flash built-in
quite wide (24mm)
long reach (1200mm)
does not have Timelapse function
more heavy than competitors in class (623 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Landscape Comparison

Pentax H90 Landscape photography details
Sony HX300 Landscape photography details
36
has manual focus
fairly wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not available
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
no RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse function
49
manual focus
quite wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (20 megapixels)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
does not have Timelapse function
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Pentax H90
Vlogging with Sony HX300
28
fairly wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external mic jack
25
quite wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have microphone support
more heavy than competitors in class (623 grams)
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

Pentax H90 vs Sony HX300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax H90 and Sony HX300
 Pentax Optio H90Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
General Information
Company Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax Optio H90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2010-01-25 2013-02-20
Physical type Compact SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Prime -
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.16 x 4.62mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 -
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 5184 x 3888
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 80 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) 24-1200mm (50.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.5-5.9 f/2.8-6.3
Macro focusing distance 10cm -
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 1.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.00 m -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft -
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 50 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 153 grams (0.34 lbs) 623 grams (1.37 lbs)
Dimensions 101 x 65 x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1") 130 x 103 x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7")
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 ID D-LI68 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) -
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC, Internal -
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at release $150 $339