Pentax RZ18 vs Sony A200

Let's look a little more closely at the Pentax RZ18 and Sony A200, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Pentax and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the resolutions of the RZ18 (16MP) and A200 (10MP) and the RZ18 (1/2.3") and A200 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The RZ18 was released 3 years later than the A200 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Pentax RZ18 being a Compact camera and the Sony A200 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go right into a thorough comparison, here is a quick introduction of how the RZ18 matches up against the A200 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax Optio RZ18 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A200. The complete galleries are provided at Pentax RZ18 Gallery and Sony A200 Gallery.

When you are looking to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Pentax RZ18 offers physical measurements of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) while the Sony A200 has proportions of 131mm x 99mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 572 grams (1.26 lbs).

Check out the Pentax RZ18 and Sony A200 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the RZ18 against the A200.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the RZ18 and A200 is 92 and 66 respectively.

In many cases, it can be tough to see the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual here will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the RZ18 and A200.

As you can see, both of those cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The RZ18 because of its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Pentax RZ18 will offer you greater detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop pics way more aggressively. The more modern RZ18 will have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.