Pentax RZ18 vs Sony A380
92 Imaging
39 Features
37 Overall
38


68 Imaging
53 Features
54 Overall
53
Pentax RZ18 vs Sony A380 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 25-450mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
- 178g - 97 x 61 x 33mm
- Announced September 2011
(Full Review)

Pentax RZ18 vs Sony A380 Overview
Lets take a deeper look at the Pentax RZ18 vs Sony A380, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Pentax and Sony. The image resolution of the RZ18 (16MP) and the A380 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the RZ18 (1/2.3") and A380 (APS-C) posses different sensor size.

The RZ18 was introduced 2 years later than the A380 and that is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Pentax RZ18 being a Compact camera and the Sony A380 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a short overview of how the RZ18 matches up versus the A380 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Pentax RZ18 vs Sony A380 Gallery
Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax Optio RZ18 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A380. The whole galleries are provided at Pentax RZ18 Gallery & Sony A380 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax RZ18 over the Sony A380
RZ18 | A380 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | September 2011 | ![]() | August 2009 | Fresher by 25 months |
Display size | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Sharper display (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony A380 over the Pentax RZ18
A380 | RZ18 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Common features in the Pentax RZ18 and Sony A380
RZ18 | A380 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Dial exact focus | ||
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither offers selfie screen | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Neither offers Touch display |
Pentax RZ18 vs Sony A380 Physical Comparison
When you are going to carry your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Pentax RZ18 offers external dimensions of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") and a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) whilst the Sony A380 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") having a weight of 519 grams (1.14 lbs).
Check out the Pentax RZ18 vs Sony A380 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you use at that moment. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the RZ18 compared to the A380.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the RZ18 and A380 is 92 and 68 respectively.

Pentax RZ18 vs Sony A380 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it is very hard to imagine the difference between sensor sizing just by looking at specifications. The visual here will give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the RZ18 and A380.
Plainly, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The RZ18 using its tinier sensor is going to make shooting bokeh harder and the Pentax RZ18 will give you extra detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The fresher RZ18 provides an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Pentax RZ18 vs Sony A380 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax RZ18 vs Sony A380 Specifications
Pentax Optio RZ18 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A380 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Pentax | Sony |
Model type | Pentax Optio RZ18 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A380 |
Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Entry-Level DSLR |
Announced | 2011-09-12 | 2009-08-24 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | - | Bionz |
Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 6.08 x 4.56mm | 23.6 x 15.8mm |
Sensor area | 27.7mm² | 372.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4592 x 3056 |
Highest native ISO | 6400 | 3200 |
Min native ISO | 80 | 100 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | 9 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Lens zoom range | 25-450mm (18.0x) | - |
Maximum aperture | f/3.5-5.9 | - |
Macro focusing range | 4cm | - |
Amount of lenses | - | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 5.9 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Screen size | 3 inches | 2.7 inches |
Resolution of screen | 460k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Screen technology | TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 95 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.49x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 4 secs | 30 secs |
Max shutter speed | 1/2000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shutter rate | 1.0fps | 3.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 2.80 m | 10.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash synchronize | - | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) | - |
Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | None |
Video file format | Motion JPEG | - |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 178g (0.39 lb) | 519g (1.14 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 97 x 61 x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") | 128 x 97 x 71mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.8") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | 67 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 22.6 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 11.8 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 614 |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 500 photographs |
Battery type | - | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | D-LI92 | NP-FH50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch price | $210 | $899 |