Pentax I-10 vs Sony A33

Lets look a little more in depth at the Pentax I-10 and Sony A33, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Pentax and Sony. The sensor resolution of the I-10 (12MP) and the A33 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the I-10 (1/2.3") and A33 (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

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The I-10 was unveiled 7 months prior to the A33 and they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras have different body design with the Pentax I-10 being a Compact camera and the Sony A33 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief view of how the I-10 scores against the A33 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax Optio I-10 and Sony SLT-A33. The full galleries are provided at Pentax I-10 Gallery and Sony A33 Gallery.

If you are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and size. The Pentax I-10 provides outer dimensions of 101mm x 65mm x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1") having a weight of 153 grams (0.34 lbs) while the Sony A33 has specifications of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Pentax I-10 and Sony A33 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the I-10 compared to the A33.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the I-10 and A33 is 93 and 67 respectively.

In many cases, it can be difficult to picture the difference in sensor measurements merely by going through technical specs. The visual underneath will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the I-10 and A33.

As you can tell, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The I-10 having a smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh harder and the Sony A33 will show more detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older I-10 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.