Pentax W90 vs Sony HX90V
94 Imaging
35 Features
21 Overall
29


91 Imaging
43 Features
63 Overall
51
Pentax W90 vs Sony HX90V Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 6400
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
- 164g - 108 x 59 x 25mm
- Announced February 2010
(Full Review)
- 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 80 - 12800
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-720mm (F3.5-6.4) lens
- 245g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
- Revealed April 2015

Pentax W90 vs Sony HX90V Overview
Its time to look more closely at the Pentax W90 and Sony HX90V, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Pentax and Sony. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the W90 (12MP) and HX90V (18MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

The W90 was brought out 6 years earlier than the HX90V and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras feature the same body design (Compact).
Before delving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the W90 matches up vs the HX90V when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Pentax W90 vs Sony HX90V Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax Optio W90 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX90V. The entire galleries are available at Pentax W90 Gallery & Sony HX90V Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax W90 over the Sony HX90V
W90 | HX90V |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony HX90V over the Pentax W90
HX90V | W90 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | April 2015 | ![]() | February 2010 | More recent by 62 months |
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display size | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 921k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+691k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Take selfies |
Common features in the Pentax W90 and Sony HX90V
W90 | HX90V | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Very accurate focusing | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Neither comes with Touch display |
Pentax W90 vs Sony HX90V Physical Comparison
In case you're looking to lug around your camera, you have to factor its weight and volume. The Pentax W90 comes with outer measurements of 108mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") having a weight of 164 grams (0.36 lbs) while the Sony HX90V has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs).
Take a look at the Pentax W90 and Sony HX90V in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the W90 versus the HX90V.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the W90 and HX90V is 94 and 91 respectively.

Pentax W90 vs Sony HX90V Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it is tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements just by reviewing technical specs. The photograph below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the W90 and HX90V.
As you can tell, both of those cameras feature the identical sensor size but different megapixels. You can expect to see the Sony HX90V to offer greater detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos way more aggressively. The older W90 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Pentax W90 vs Sony HX90V Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax W90 vs Sony HX90V Specifications
Pentax Optio W90 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX90V | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Pentax | Sony |
Model | Pentax Optio W90 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX90V |
Category | Waterproof | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Announced | 2010-02-24 | 2015-04-14 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | Prime | Bionz X |
Sensor type | CCD | BSI-CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | 1/2.3" |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 28.1mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12MP | 18MP |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 4896 x 3672 |
Highest native ISO | 6400 | 12800 |
Lowest native ISO | 80 | 80 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch to focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect focusing | ||
Contract detect focusing | ||
Phase detect focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 9 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | fixed lens | fixed lens |
Lens focal range | 28-140mm (5.0x) | 24-720mm (30.0x) |
Max aperture | f/3.5-5.5 | f/3.5-6.4 |
Macro focus range | 1cm | 5cm |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display sizing | 2.7 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of display | 230 thousand dots | 921 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 638 thousand dots |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.5x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 4 seconds | 30 seconds |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/1500 seconds | 1/2000 seconds |
Continuous shutter rate | 1.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manually set exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | 3.90 m | 5.40 m (with Auto ISO) |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft | Auto, flash on, slow sync, flash off, rear sync |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p) |
Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | 1920x1080 |
Video data format | Motion JPEG | AVCHD, XAVC S |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
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 | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 164g (0.36 pounds) | 245g (0.54 pounds) |
Physical dimensions | 108 x 59 x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") | 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | not tested |
DXO Low light score | not tested | not tested |
Other | ||
Battery life | - | 360 photos |
Style of battery | - | Battery Pack |
Battery model | D-LI68 | NP-BX1 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC card, Internal | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo |
Card slots | One | One |
Pricing at release | $120 | $440 |