Pentax P80 vs Sony A35

Below, we will be comparing the Pentax P80 and Sony A35, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Pentax and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the resolutions of the P80 (12MP) and A35 (16MP) and the P80 (1/2.3") and A35 (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

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The P80 was manufactured 3 years prior to the A35 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Pentax P80 being a Compact camera and the Sony A35 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a brief summation of how the P80 grades against the A35 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax Optio P80 & Sony SLT-A35. The entire galleries are viewable at Pentax P80 Gallery & Sony A35 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to lug around your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Pentax P80 features exterior dimensions of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0") having a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) whilst the Sony A35 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 415 grams (0.91 lbs).

Compare the Pentax P80 and Sony A35 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is the front view overall size comparison of the P80 against the A35.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the P80 and A35 is 95 and 69 respectively.

More often than not, it's tough to picture the difference in sensor measurements just by checking out technical specs. The graphic below will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the P80 and A35.

As you have seen, both of those cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The P80 due to its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A35 will produce greater detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The older P80 will be behind in sensor technology.