Pentax S1 vs Sony A290

Following is a comprehensive overview of the Pentax S1 versus Sony A290, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Pentax and Sony. The sensor resolution of the S1 (14MP) and the A290 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the S1 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The S1 was manufactured 9 months after the A290 which means that they are of a similar age. The two cameras have different body design with the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going right into a detailed comparison, here is a brief summary of how the S1 matches up vs the A290 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax Optio S1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The entire galleries are available at Pentax S1 Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry around your camera, you'll have to take into account its weight and volume. The Pentax S1 provides external dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony A290 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Analyze the Pentax S1 versus Sony A290 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the S1 compared to the A290.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the S1 and A290 is 93 and 66 respectively.

Normally, it is very difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizes purely by looking at technical specs. The picture here should offer you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the S1 and A290.

As you can tell, both of those cameras have the same megapixels but different sensor sizes. The S1 provides the tinier sensor which is going to make getting shallow depth of field harder. The newer S1 provides an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.