Pentax W90 vs Sony A850

Its time to look more in depth at the Pentax W90 and Sony A850, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Advanced DSLR by companies Pentax and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the image resolutions of the W90 (12MP) and A850 (25MP) and the W90 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) have different sensor sizes.

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The W90 was manufactured at a similar time to the A850 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Pentax W90 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go right into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the W90 grades versus the A850 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax Optio W90 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The entire galleries are available at Pentax W90 Gallery and Sony A850 Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera, you have to factor its weight and proportions. The Pentax W90 features outer measurements of 108mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") along with a weight of 164 grams (0.36 lbs) and the Sony A850 has measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax W90 and Sony A850 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the W90 compared to the A850.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the W90 and A850 is 94 and 54 respectively.

In many cases, it's tough to visualize the difference in sensor sizing purely by researching a spec sheet. The graphic here will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the W90 and A850.

Clearly, both the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The W90 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A850 will result in more detail due to its extra 13MP. Greater resolution will help you crop pics way more aggressively.