Pentax P70 vs Sony A290

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Pentax P70 versus Sony A290, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Pentax and Sony. The image resolution of the P70 (12MP) and the A290 (14MP) is pretty well matched but the P70 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) come with different sensor sizes.

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The P70 was revealed 15 months before the A290 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Pentax P70 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a full comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the P70 grades vs the A290 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax Optio P70 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The full galleries are available at Pentax P70 Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to think about its weight and measurements. The Pentax P70 has outer measurements of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") along with a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Sony A290 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Compare the Pentax P70 versus Sony A290 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached during that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the P70 compared to the A290.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the P70 and A290 is 95 and 66 respectively.

Sometimes, its difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor sizes purely by looking at a spec sheet. The image here may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the P70 and A290.

As you can see, both of these cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The P70 having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony A290 will give extra detail because of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots far more aggressively. The more aged P70 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.