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Pentax W90 vs Sony WX30

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
21
Overall
29
Pentax Optio W90 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
41
Overall
39

Pentax W90 vs Sony WX30 Key Specs

Pentax W90
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 164g - 108 x 59 x 25mm
  • Revealed February 2010
Sony WX30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 117g - 92 x 52 x 19mm
  • Released July 2011
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Pentax W90 vs Sony WX30 Overview

Its time to examine more closely at the Pentax W90 versus Sony WX30, one being a Waterproof and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Pentax and Sony. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the W90 (12MP) and WX30 (16MP) but they feature the exact same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The W90 was revealed 17 months before the WX30 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving straight into a full comparison, below is a simple overview of how the W90 grades vs the WX30 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Pentax W90 over the Sony WX30

 W90 WX30 
Manual focus More accurate focus

Reasons to pick Sony WX30 over the Pentax W90

 WX30 W90 
ReleasedJuly 2011February 2010Fresher by 17 months
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kCrisper screen (+692k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Pentax W90 and Sony WX30

 W90 WX30 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Pentax W90 vs Sony WX30 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Pentax W90 enjoys external measurements 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 WX30 has dimensions of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

See the Pentax W90 versus Sony WX30 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Here is the front view size comparison of the W90 and the WX30.

Pentax W90 vs Sony WX30 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the W90 and WX30 is 94 and 96 respectively.

Pentax W90 vs Sony WX30 top view buttons comparison

Pentax W90 vs Sony WX30 Sensor Comparison

Often, its tough to imagine the contrast between sensor sizing simply by looking at technical specs. The photograph here will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the W90 and WX30.

As you have seen, the two cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different MP. You should expect the Sony WX30 to give you more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older W90 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Pentax W90 vs Sony WX30 sensor size comparison

Pentax W90 vs Sony WX30 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax W90 vs Sony WX30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax W90 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony WX30 as a Portrait photography camera
27
has manual focus
manual mode not possible
can't use external flash
low resolution sensor (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
30
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Pentax W90 Street photography info
Sony WX30 Street photography info
54
environment proofing
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (117g)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Pentax W90 Sports photography information
Sony WX30 Sports photography information
24
environment proofing
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
39
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16MP)
no shutter priority
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Pentax W90
Travel photography with Sony WX30
64
environment proofing
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
69
lighter than competition in class (117g)
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (25mm)
no Timelapse function
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax W90 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony WX30 as a Landscape photography camera
37
has manual focus
pretty wide (28mm)
environment proofing
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
manual mode not possible
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
43
rather wide (25mm)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
no manual control
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax W90 Vlogging info
Sony WX30 Vlogging info
25
pretty wide (28mm)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing external microphone port
35
rather wide (25mm)
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition in class (117g)
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
no microphone support
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Pentax W90 vs Sony WX30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax W90 and Sony WX30
 Pentax Optio W90Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30
General Information
Brand Name Pentax Sony
Model Pentax Optio W90 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30
Type Waterproof Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2010-02-24 2011-07-25
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Prime BIONZ
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-140mm (5.0x) 25-125mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.5-5.5 f/2.6-6.3
Macro focus distance 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 2.7 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - XtraFine TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/1500 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.90 m 3.70 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 164g (0.36 lb) 117g (0.26 lb)
Dimensions 108 x 59 x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") 92 x 52 x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 - 250 images
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI68 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch cost $120 $259