Pentax RZ18 vs Sony A900

On this page, we will be matching up the Pentax RZ18 and Sony A900, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Pentax and Sony. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the RZ18 (16MP) and A900 (25MP) and the RZ18 (1/2.3") and A900 (Full frame) have different sensor sizes.

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The RZ18 was launched 2 years after the A900 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Pentax RZ18 being a Compact camera and the Sony A900 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a brief overview of how the RZ18 matches up versus the A900 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax Optio RZ18 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A900. The complete galleries are provided at Pentax RZ18 Gallery & Sony A900 Gallery.

For those who are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Pentax RZ18 comes with external measurements of 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) while the Sony A900 has sizing of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") along with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax RZ18 and Sony A900 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the RZ18 compared to the A900.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the RZ18 and A900 is 92 and 54 respectively.

Usually, it can be tough to picture the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by looking through a spec sheet. The picture below should offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the RZ18 and A900.

As you can see, both of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The RZ18 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony A900 will render greater detail utilizing its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The fresher RZ18 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.