Pentax P70 vs Sony HX30V

Its time to look more in depth at the Pentax P70 and Sony HX30V, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by competitors Pentax and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the P70 (12MP) and HX30V (18MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The P70 was manufactured 4 years earlier than the HX30V which is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Pentax P70 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony HX30V being a Compact camera.

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short summation of how the P70 matches up vs the HX30V in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax Optio P70 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V. The entire galleries are provided at Pentax P70 Gallery & Sony HX30V Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Pentax P70 has outside dimensions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") having a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs) and the Sony HX30V has dimensions of 107mm x 62mm x 35mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.4") and a weight of 254 grams (0.56 lbs).

Contrast the Pentax P70 and Sony HX30V in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select during that time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the P70 against the HX30V.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the P70 and HX30V is 95 and 90 respectively.

Often, it is very hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizes purely by going through specifications. The picture underneath will help offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the P70 and HX30V.

To sum up, both the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same megapixels. You can count on the Sony HX30V to show greater detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged P70 will be behind in sensor tech.