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Pentax VS20 vs Sony A99 II

Portability
90
Imaging
39
Features
35
Overall
37
Pentax Optio VS20 front
 
Sony Alpha A99 II front
Portability
57
Imaging
77
Features
92
Overall
83

Pentax VS20 vs Sony A99 II Key Specs

Pentax VS20
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-560mm (F3.1-4.8) lens
  • 235g - 111 x 61 x 38mm
  • Released January 2012
Sony A99 II
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Bump to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 849g - 143 x 104 x 76mm
  • Announced September 2016
  • Succeeded the Sony A99
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Pentax VS20 vs Sony A99 II Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Pentax VS20 vs Sony A99 II, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Pentax and Sony. There is a big difference between the sensor resolutions of the VS20 (16MP) and A99 II (42MP) and the VS20 (1/2.3") and A99 II (Full frame) enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

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The VS20 was manufactured 5 years before the A99 II which is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 II being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving through a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the VS20 grades versus the A99 II with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Pentax VS20 over the Sony A99 II

 VS20 A99 II 

Reasons to pick Sony A99 II over the Pentax VS20

 A99 II VS20 
AnnouncedSeptember 2016January 2012Newer by 56 months
Screen typeFully articulatedFixed Fully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1229k460kClearer screen (+769k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Pentax VS20 and Sony A99 II

 VS20 A99 II 
Focus manually More accurate focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions
Touch friendly screen Neither comes with Touch friendly screen

Pentax VS20 vs Sony A99 II Physical Comparison

For those who are going to travel with your camera, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Pentax VS20 comes with outer measurements of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") with a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs) and the Sony A99 II has specifications of 143mm x 104mm x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 849 grams (1.87 lbs).

Look at the Pentax VS20 vs Sony A99 II in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Here is the front view overall size comparison of the VS20 and the A99 II.

Pentax VS20 vs Sony A99 II size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the VS20 and A99 II is 90 and 57 respectively.

Pentax VS20 vs Sony A99 II top view buttons comparison

Pentax VS20 vs Sony A99 II Sensor Comparison

In many cases, its hard to see the difference between sensor dimensions simply by checking a spec sheet. The picture here will offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the VS20 and A99 II.

Clearly, both of those cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The VS20 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF tougher and the Sony A99 II will give more detail due to its extra 26MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures far more aggressively. The more aged VS20 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Pentax VS20 vs Sony A99 II sensor size comparison

Pentax VS20 vs Sony A99 II Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax VS20 vs Sony A99 II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax VS20 Portrait photography factors
Sony A99 II Portrait photography factors
36
focusing manually
MP count decent (16MP)
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
86
manual focus
sensor resolution is amazing (42 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
offers face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Pentax VS20 Street photography info
Sony A99 II Street photography info
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (235 grams)
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
76
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Pentax VS20 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A99 II as a Sports photography camera
44
amazing zoom range (28-560mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
max frames per second low (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
82
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is amazing (42MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
offers tracking autofocus
weather proofing
supports phase detect AF
bad battery power (490 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Pentax VS20 Travel photography factors
Sony A99 II Travel photography factors
68
lighter than competition (235g)
MP count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
really wide (28mm)
long reach (560mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.1)
70
weather proofing
has bluetooth
sensor resolution is amazing (42 megapixels)
selfie friendly display
bad battery power (490 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax VS20 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A99 II Landscape photography highlights
47
focusing manually
really wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count decent (16MP)
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
manual exposure not available
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse function
82
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is amazing (42MP)
great sensor size (Full frame)
no anti-alias filter
good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
has dual storage slots
bad battery power (490 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax VS20 Vlogging information
Sony A99 II Vlogging information
30
really wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (235g)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have microphone jack
78
selfie friendly display
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
comes with external microphone jack
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Pentax VS20 vs Sony A99 II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax VS20 and Sony A99 II
 Pentax Optio VS20Sony Alpha A99 II
General Information
Make Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax Optio VS20 Sony Alpha A99 II
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Advanced DSLR
Released 2012-01-25 2016-09-19
Body design Compact Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 42 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 7952 x 5304
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Highest boosted ISO - 102400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Minimum boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 3 399
Cross type focus points - 79
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 28-560mm (20.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.1-4.8 -
Macro focusing distance 3cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fully articulated
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2500 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 2.80 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Off, auto, fill, slow sync, redeye reduction, rear sync, high-speed sync, wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video data format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 235g (0.52 lb) 849g (1.87 lb)
Dimensions 111 x 61 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") 143 x 104 x 76mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 92
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 25.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 2317
Other
Battery life - 490 photographs
Battery format - NP-FM500H lithium-ion battery & charger
Battery ID D-LI122 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC/MS Duo slots
Storage slots One Two
Launch pricing $106 $3,198