Pentax RS1500 vs Sony A65

On this page, we are looking at the Pentax RS1500 versus Sony A65, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Pentax and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the RS1500 (14MP) and A65 (24MP) and the RS1500 (1/2.3") and A65 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The RS1500 was launched 8 months before the A65 so they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Pentax RS1500 being a Compact camera and the Sony A65 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise summation of how the RS1500 scores against the A65 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax Optio RS1500 & Sony SLT-A65. The complete galleries are available at Pentax RS1500 Gallery & Sony A65 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Pentax RS1500 has got outer measurements of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony A65 has dimensions of 132mm x 97mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.8" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 622 grams (1.37 lbs).

See the Pentax RS1500 versus Sony A65 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the RS1500 against the A65.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the RS1500 and A65 is 93 and 64 respectively.

Usually, it's tough to envision the gap in sensor dimensions merely by going through specs. The pic below will offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the RS1500 and A65.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The RS1500 because of its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A65 will show more detail utilizing its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more aged RS1500 will be behind in sensor technology.