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Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A6500

Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
30
Overall
34
Pentax Optio RS1500 front
 
Sony Alpha a6500 front
Portability
81
Imaging
68
Features
85
Overall
74

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A6500 Key Specs

Pentax RS1500
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Revealed March 2011
Sony A6500
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Increase to 51200)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 453g - 120 x 67 x 53mm
  • Announced October 2016
  • Earlier Model is Sony A6300
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Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A6500 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A6500, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Pentax and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the RS1500 (14MP) and A6500 (24MP) and the RS1500 (1/2.3") and A6500 (APS-C) provide different sensor size.

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The RS1500 was launched 6 years before the A6500 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera and the Sony A6500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple summary of how the RS1500 grades vs the A6500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Pentax RS1500 over the Sony A6500

 RS1500 A6500 

Reasons to pick Sony A6500 over the Pentax RS1500

 A6500 RS1500 
AnnouncedOctober 2016March 2011More recent by 67 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution922k230kCrisper display (+692k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Pentax RS1500 and Sony A6500

 RS1500 A6500 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A6500 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to lug around your camera frequently, you will have to factor its weight and volume. The Pentax RS1500 features exterior measurements of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony A6500 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1") with a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

Look at the Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A6500 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the RS1500 and the A6500.

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A6500 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the RS1500 and A6500 is 93 and 81 respectively.

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A6500 top view buttons comparison

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements merely by going over technical specs. The visual underneath will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the RS1500 and A6500.

As you have seen, both the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The RS1500 because of its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A6500 will deliver extra detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics way more aggressively. The older RS1500 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A6500 sensor size comparison

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A6500 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A6500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax RS1500 Portrait photography information
Sony A6500 Portrait photography information
35
manual focus
decent MP (14MP)
no manual control
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
80
you can focus manually
good resolution (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Pentax RS1500 Street photography info
Sony A6500 Street photography info
54
weather proof
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
supports touch focus
weather proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Pentax RS1500 Sports photography info
Sony A6500 Sports photography info
37
decent MP (14 megapixels)
features tracking focus
weather proof
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
77
quiet mode (1/32,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking focus
weather proofing
supports phase detect auto focus
not so great battery power (350 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Pentax RS1500 Travel photography info
Sony A6500 Travel photography info
67
weather proof
decent MP (14MP)
has built in flash
really wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
74
weather proofing
supports bluetooth
supports touch focus
good resolution (24MP)
built-in flash
not so great battery power (350 shots)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax RS1500 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A6500 as a Landscape photography camera
40
manual focus
really wide (28mm)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
weather proof
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7 inch)
no manual control
does not have image stabilization
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
lack of Timelapse function
80
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
not so great battery power (350 shots)
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax RS1500 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A6500 as a Vlogging camera
25
really wide (28mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone support
39
touchscreen functionality
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detect focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with microphone port
display is not selfie friendly
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Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A6500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax RS1500 and Sony A6500
 Pentax Optio RS1500Sony Alpha a6500
General Information
Company Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax Optio RS1500 Sony Alpha a6500
Category Small Sensor Compact Advanced Mirrorless
Revealed 2011-03-16 2016-10-06
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 24MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4288 x 3216 6000 x 4000
Maximum native ISO 6400 25600
Maximum boosted ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 425
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 28-110mm (3.9x) -
Largest aperture f/3.5-5.5 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Available lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display tech TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/1500s 1/4000s
Highest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps 11.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.90 m 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off selectable), Hi-speed sync, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 157g (0.35 lb) 453g (1.00 lb)
Physical dimensions 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") 120 x 67 x 53mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 85
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.5
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 1405
Other
Battery life 260 shots 350 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI92 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $150 $1,298