Pentax VS20 vs Sony A290

Let's look a little more closely at the Pentax VS20 vs Sony A290, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Pentax and Sony. The image resolution of the VS20 (16MP) and the A290 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the VS20 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) provide different sensor dimensions.

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The VS20 was introduced 20 months after the A290 making them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Pentax VS20 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a short overview of how the VS20 matches up against the A290 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax Optio VS20 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The whole galleries are available at Pentax VS20 Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.

If you are aiming to travel with your camera, you're going to have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Pentax VS20 offers outside dimensions of 111mm x 61mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.4" x 1.5") having a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs) and the Sony A290 has dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Examine the Pentax VS20 vs Sony A290 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the VS20 and the A290.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VS20 and A290 is 90 and 66 respectively.

More often than not, it can be tough to imagine the contrast between sensor dimensions purely by checking specifications. The pic below should offer you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the VS20 and A290.

Plainly, both of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The VS20 using its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Pentax VS20 will give you greater detail using its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The fresher VS20 provides an edge with regard to sensor technology.