Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A57

Let's take a more detailed look at the Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A57, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Pentax and Sony. The sensor resolution of the RS1500 (14MP) and the A57 (16MP) is fairly well matched but the RS1500 (1/2.3") and A57 (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

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The RS1500 was unveiled 18 months earlier than the A57 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go through a thorough comparison, below is a short introduction of how the RS1500 grades against the A57 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax Optio RS1500 & Sony SLT-A57. The full galleries are viewable at Pentax RS1500 Gallery & Sony A57 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry around your camera often, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Pentax RS1500 offers outside dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs) and the Sony A57 has sizing of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") having a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Examine the Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A57 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the RS1500 compared to the A57.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the RS1500 and A57 is 93 and 64 respectively.

Often, it is difficult to see the difference between sensor sizes simply by reading through specs. The pic here may give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the RS1500 and A57.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The RS1500 using its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A57 will give you extra detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The more aged RS1500 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.