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Pentax Q7 vs Sony A9

Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
54
Overall
43
Pentax Q7 front
 
Sony Alpha A9 front
Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81

Pentax Q7 vs Sony A9 Key Specs

Pentax Q7
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax Q Mount
  • 200g - 102 x 58 x 34mm
  • Revealed August 2013
  • Replaced the Pentax Q10
Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Bump to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Released April 2017
  • Renewed by Sony A9 II
Photography Glossary

Pentax Q7 vs Sony A9 Overview

On this page, we will be comparing the Pentax Q7 versus Sony A9, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Pentax and Sony. There is a big difference among the resolutions of the Q7 (12MP) and A9 (24MP) and the Q7 (1/1.7") and A9 (Full frame) boast totally different sensor measurements.

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The Q7 was revealed 4 years earlier than the A9 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Pentax Q7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple view of how the Q7 matches up vs the A9 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Pentax Q7 over the Sony A9

 Q7 A9 

Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Pentax Q7

 A9 Q7 
ReleasedApril 2017August 2013More modern by 45 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1440k460kSharper screen (+980k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Pentax Q7 and Sony A9

 Q7 A9 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen measurements
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Pentax Q7 vs Sony A9 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to think about its weight and volume. The Pentax Q7 offers exterior dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3") having a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs) and the Sony A9 has sizing of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") accompanied by a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

Contrast the Pentax Q7 versus Sony A9 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilising at that time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the Q7 versus the A9.

Pentax Q7 vs Sony A9 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the Q7 and A9 is 92 and 65 respectively.

Pentax Q7 vs Sony A9 top view buttons comparison

Pentax Q7 vs Sony A9 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizes simply by looking through specs. The picture here will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the Q7 and A9.

All in all, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The Q7 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony A9 will render more detail because of its extra 12MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged Q7 will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Pentax Q7 vs Sony A9 sensor size comparison

Pentax Q7 vs Sony A9 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax Q7 vs Sony A9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax Q7 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A9 Portrait photography highlights
48
focusing manually
great flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
83
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (24MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
features face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Pentax Q7 Street photography advice
Sony A9 Street photography advice
69
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
exports RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (200g)
no articulating screen
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
79
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
features focus by touch
weather proofing
good high ISO (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Pentax Q7 Sports photography features
Sony A9 Sports photography features
32
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has tracking autofocus
slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
not so great battery power (250 shots)
lack of phase detect AF
86
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
silent shutter (1/32,000s)
max frames per second high (20.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
features tracking autofocus
weather proofing
better than average battery power (650 CIPA)
supports phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Pentax Q7
Travel photography with Sony A9
60
lighter than competitors in class (200 grams)
has built in flash
not so great battery power (250 CIPA)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
73
better than average battery power (650 per charge)
weather proofing
supports bluetooth
features focus by touch
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax Q7 Landscape photography information
Sony A9 Landscape photography information
55
focusing manually
change lenses (Pentax Q mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
exports RAW formats
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
not so great battery power (250 shots)
85
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
good high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW formats
weather proofing
better than average battery power (650 per charge)
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax Q7 Vlogging advice
Sony A9 Vlogging advice
35
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors in class (200g)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
no external microphone port
36
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focusing
high res video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
comes with external mic jack
doesn't contain selfie friendly screen
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Pentax Q7 vs Sony A9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax Q7 and Sony A9
 Pentax Q7Sony Alpha A9
General Information
Make Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax Q7 Sony Alpha A9
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2013-08-08 2017-04-19
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - BIONZ X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4000 x 3000 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 12800 51200
Max boosted ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 693
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support Pentax Q Sony E
Amount of lenses 8 121
Crop factor 4.8 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dot 1,440 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen technology TFT color LCD monitor, wide angle viewing, AR coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/8000s
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames per sec 20.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.90 m (ISO100/m) no built-in flash
Flash options P-TTL, Red-eye Reduction, Slow-speed Sync, Trailing Curtain Sync Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/2000s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions FullHD(1920x1080, 30fps/25fps/24fps), HD(1280x720,16:9,30fps/25fps/24fps), VGA(640x480,4:3,30fps/25fps/24fps) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
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 None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 200g (0.44 lb) 673g (1.48 lb)
Physical dimensions 102 x 58 x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3") 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 92
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 3517
Other
Battery life 250 photos 650 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI68 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (12 sec, 2 sec) Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD, SDHC, SDXC and Eye-Fi Card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Storage slots 1 Dual
Cost at launch $480 $4,498