Pentax P80 vs Sony A380

Its time to look a little more closely at the Pentax P80 and Sony A380, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Pentax and Sony. The sensor resolution of the P80 (12MP) and the A380 (14MP) is very similar but the P80 (1/2.3") and A380 (APS-C) have totally different sensor measurements.

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The P80 was unveiled about the same time to the A380 so they are of a similar generation. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Pentax P80 being a Compact camera and the Sony A380 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a in depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the P80 scores vs the A380 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax Optio P80 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A380. The full galleries are available at Pentax P80 Gallery and Sony A380 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Pentax P80 has got outside dimensions of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony A380 has dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") having a weight of 519 grams (1.14 lbs).

Check out the Pentax P80 and Sony A380 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the P80 and the A380.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the P80 and A380 is 95 and 68 respectively.

Generally, it is very tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizes just by reading specs. The pic below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the P80 and A380.

All in all, both the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The P80 having a tinier sensor will make achieving bokeh trickier and the Sony A380 will offer you greater detail having an extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively.