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Pentax P70 vs Sony A330

Portability
95
Imaging
34
Features
20
Overall
28
Pentax Optio P70 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A330 front
Portability
67
Imaging
50
Features
50
Overall
50

Pentax P70 vs Sony A330 Key Specs

Pentax P70
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F2.8-5.0) lens
  • 155g - 97 x 54 x 22mm
  • Released March 2009
Sony A330
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 529g - 128 x 97 x 71mm
  • Introduced May 2009
  • Replaced the Sony A300
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Pentax P70 vs Sony A330 Overview

Below, we will be evaluating the Pentax P70 vs Sony A330, one is a Ultracompact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Pentax and Sony. The resolution of the P70 (12MP) and the A330 (10MP) is pretty well matched but the P70 (1/2.3") and A330 (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

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The P70 was introduced 2 months earlier than the A330 so they are of a similar generation. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Pentax P70 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A330 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief view of how the P70 scores against the A330 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Pentax P70 over the Sony A330

 P70 A330 

Reasons to pick Sony A330 over the Pentax P70

 A330 P70 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Pentax P70 and Sony A330

 P70 A330 
IntroducedMarch 2009May 2009Similar generation
Manual focus More precise focus
Screen dimension2.7"2.7"Identical screen size
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Pentax P70 vs Sony A330 Physical Comparison

If you are going to travel with your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and volume. The Pentax P70 features outside measurements of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs) while the Sony A330 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 529 grams (1.17 lbs).

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Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the P70 against the A330.

Pentax P70 vs Sony A330 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the P70 and A330 is 95 and 67 respectively.

Pentax P70 vs Sony A330 top view buttons comparison

Pentax P70 vs Sony A330 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to envision the difference between sensor dimensions only by reading through specs. The pic below should give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the P70 and A330.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The P70 using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Pentax P70 will resolve more detail using its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs much more aggressively.

Pentax P70 vs Sony A330 sensor size comparison

Pentax P70 vs Sony A330 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax P70 vs Sony A330 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax P70 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A330 as a Portrait photography camera
27
has manual focus
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
62
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
MP count low (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Pentax P70 as a Street photography camera
Sony A330 as a Street photography camera
47
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
more heavy than competitors in class (155 grams)
75
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Pentax P70 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A330 as a Sports photography camera
17
max shutter speed is low (1/1,000 seconds)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
50
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
max frames per second very slow (3.0 fps)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
not so great battery life (230 shots)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Pentax P70 Travel photography highlights
Sony A330 Travel photography highlights
56
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
more heavy than competitors in class (155 grams)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
44
built-in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
not so great battery life (230 shots)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax P70 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A330 Landscape photography highlights
32
has manual focus
fairly wide (28mm)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not available
does not have image stabilization
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
does not have Timelapse recording
54
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
small screen (2.7 inches)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
not so great battery life (230 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax P70 Vlogging info
Sony A330 Vlogging info
25
fairly wide (28mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have microphone jack
more heavy than competitors in class (155g)
9
can't record video
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Pentax P70 vs Sony A330 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax P70 and Sony A330
 Pentax Optio P70Sony Alpha DSLR-A330
General Information
Company Pentax Sony
Model Pentax Optio P70 Sony Alpha DSLR-A330
Type Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2009-03-02 2009-05-18
Physical type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 3872 x 2592
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Minimum native ISO 64 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-110mm (3.9x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.8-5.0 -
Macro focus distance 10cm -
Total lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.7 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.49x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/1000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate - 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 4.60 m 10.00 m
Flash settings - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (15 fps), 848 x 480 (15 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 None
Video file format Motion JPEG -
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 155 gr (0.34 lb) 529 gr (1.17 lb)
Dimensions 97 x 54 x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") 128 x 97 x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 64
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.4
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.5
DXO Low light score not tested 535
Other
Battery life - 230 pictures
Battery type - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC, Internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $200 $545