Pentax S1 vs Sony A99

Lets look more closely at the Pentax S1 versus Sony A99, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced DSLR by competitors Pentax and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the S1 (14MP) and A99 (24MP) and the S1 (1/2.3") and A99 (Full frame) come with different sensor size.

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The S1 was introduced 21 months before the A99 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving through a complete comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the S1 matches up versus the A99 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax Optio S1 & Sony SLT-A99. The whole galleries are provided at Pentax S1 Gallery & Sony A99 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Pentax S1 has got exterior measurements of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Sony A99 has dimensions of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Look at the Pentax S1 versus Sony A99 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the S1 against the A99.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the S1 and A99 is 93 and 57 respectively.

Often, it is very tough to visualize the gap in sensor measurements simply by seeing a spec sheet. The visual underneath will help provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the S1 and A99.

Clearly, both of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The S1 having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A99 will show greater detail using its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The older S1 will be behind in sensor technology.