Pentax W90 vs Sony A9

Below is a complete overview of the Pentax W90 versus Sony A9, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Pentax and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the W90 (12MP) and A9 (24MP) and the W90 (1/2.3") and A9 (Full frame) enjoy different sensor sizing.

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The W90 was announced 8 years before the A9 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Pentax W90 being a Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a in-depth comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the W90 grades vs the A9 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax Optio W90 and Sony Alpha A9. The whole galleries are viewable at Pentax W90 Gallery and Sony A9 Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and proportions. The Pentax W90 offers outer dimensions of 108mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") and a weight of 164 grams (0.36 lbs) and the Sony A9 has measurements of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") having a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

See the Pentax W90 versus Sony A9 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the W90 vs the A9.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the W90 and A9 is 94 and 65 respectively.

Typically, it can be difficult to imagine the difference between sensor measurements purely by reading specs. The graphic below may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the W90 and A9.

As you can plainly see, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The W90 having a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Sony A9 will deliver more detail with its extra 12MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop pics much more aggressively. The older W90 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.