Clicky

Pentax S1 vs Sony A9

Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34
Pentax Optio S1 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 front
Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81

Pentax S1 vs Sony A9 Key Specs

Pentax S1
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Launched March 2011
Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Raise to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Revealed April 2017
  • Updated by Sony A9 II
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Pentax S1 vs Sony A9 Overview

Its time to look much closer at the Pentax S1 vs Sony A9, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Pentax and Sony. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the S1 (14MP) and A9 (24MP) and the S1 (1/2.3") and A9 (Full frame) possess different sensor measurements.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The S1 was brought out 7 years before the A9 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief summation of how the S1 matches up vs the A9 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms
	
	

Reasons to pick Pentax S1 over the Sony A9

 S1 A9 

Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Pentax S1

 A9 S1 
RevealedApril 2017March 2011Newer by 74 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1440k230kCrisper display (+1210k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Pentax S1 and Sony A9

 S1 A9 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen

Pentax S1 vs Sony A9 Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to travel with your camera often, you should factor in its weight and proportions. The Pentax S1 offers exterior measurements of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony A9 has measurements of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax S1 vs Sony A9 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you select at the time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the S1 versus the A9.

Pentax S1 vs Sony A9 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the S1 and A9 is 93 and 65 respectively.

Pentax S1 vs Sony A9 top view buttons comparison

Pentax S1 vs Sony A9 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be tough to visualize the gap in sensor dimensions only by researching specs. The image below might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the S1 and A9.

All in all, both cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The S1 because of its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A9 will result in greater detail having its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop images far more aggressively. The more aged S1 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Pentax S1 vs Sony A9 sensor size comparison

Pentax S1 vs Sony A9 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax S1 vs Sony A9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax S1 Portrait photography features
Sony A9 Portrait photography features
35
you can focus manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
lack of manual exposure
external flash not possible
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
83
you can focus manually
good megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes face detection focus
delivers RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Pentax S1 Street photography advice
Sony A9 Street photography advice
56
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
79
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
includes touch focus
environment proofing
good high ISO (51,200)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Sports Comparison

Pentax S1 Sports photography features
Sony A9 Sports photography features
39
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14MP)
includes tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
86
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet shutter (1/32,000s)
high fps (20.0 fps)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (24MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
includes tracking autofocus
environment proofing
good battery life (650 shots)
has phase detect auto focus
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Pentax S1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A9 as a Travel photography camera
64
MP count good (14MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
73
good battery life (650 CIPA)
environment proofing
connects via bluetooth
includes touch focus
good megapixels (24MP)
display is not selfie friendly
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Landscape Comparison

Pentax S1 Landscape photography information
Sony A9 Landscape photography information
42
you can focus manually
fairly wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (14MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
lack of Time Lapse recording
85
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
good high ISO (51,200)
delivers RAW formats
environment proofing
good battery life (650 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax S1 Vlogging factors
Sony A9 Vlogging factors
28
fairly wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of external mic port
36
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
has external mic jack
display is not selfie friendly
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Pentax S1 vs Sony A9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax S1 and Sony A9
 Pentax Optio S1Sony Alpha A9
General Information
Company Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax Optio S1 Sony Alpha A9
Category Small Sensor Compact Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2011-03-02 2017-04-19
Body design Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - BIONZ X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4288 x 3216 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 6400 51200
Max enhanced ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 693
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.5 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230k dot 1,440k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/1500 secs 1/8000 secs
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 1.0 frames/s 20.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 3.90 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 157 gr (0.35 pounds) 673 gr (1.48 pounds)
Dimensions 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 92
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 3517
Other
Battery life 260 shots 650 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI92 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Storage slots Single Dual
Retail cost $174 $4,498