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Pentax X-5 vs Sony A33

Portability
65
Imaging
39
Features
50
Overall
43
Pentax X-5 front
 
Sony SLT-A33 front
Portability
67
Imaging
54
Features
80
Overall
64

Pentax X-5 vs Sony A33 Key Specs

Pentax X-5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 22-580mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 595g - 119 x 86 x 107mm
  • Announced August 2012
Sony A33
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Announced August 2010
  • Refreshed by Sony A35
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Pentax X-5 vs Sony A33 Overview

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Pentax X-5 vs Sony A33, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Pentax and Sony. The sensor resolution of the X-5 (16MP) and the A33 (14MP) is relatively similar but the X-5 (1/2.3") and A33 (APS-C) posses different sensor size.

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The X-5 was released 2 years after the A33 which is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Pentax X-5 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A33 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going right into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick summary of how the X-5 scores versus the A33 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Pentax X-5 over the Sony A33

 X-5 A33 
AnnouncedAugust 2012August 2010Newer by 25 months

Reasons to pick Sony A33 over the Pentax X-5

 A33 X-5 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution921k460kCrisper screen (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Pentax X-5 and Sony A33

 X-5 A33 
Focus manually More precise focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen size
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Pentax X-5 vs Sony A33 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Pentax X-5 provides physical measurements of 119mm x 86mm x 107mm (4.7" x 3.4" x 4.2") along with a weight of 595 grams (1.31 lbs) while the Sony A33 has specifications of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Contrast the Pentax X-5 vs Sony A33 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you choose at that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the X-5 against the A33.

Pentax X-5 vs Sony A33 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the X-5 and A33 is 65 and 67 respectively.

Pentax X-5 vs Sony A33 top view buttons comparison

Pentax X-5 vs Sony A33 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is difficult to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions purely by going over specs. The image underneath may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the X-5 and A33.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The X-5 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax X-5 will offer you more detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more modern X-5 provides an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Pentax X-5 vs Sony A33 sensor size comparison

Pentax X-5 vs Sony A33 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax X-5 vs Sony A33 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax X-5 Portrait photography advice
Sony A33 Portrait photography advice
43
manual focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
supports face detection autofocus
no external flash support
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
72
focusing manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Pentax X-5
Street photography with Sony A33
50
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
heavier than average (595 grams)
76
fully articulated screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Pentax X-5 Sports photography highlights
Sony A33 Sports photography highlights
52
great zoom range (22-580mm 26.4 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
not so great battery pack (340 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Pentax X-5 Travel photography info
Sony A33 Travel photography info
53
megapixel count decent (16MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (22mm)
very long zoom (580mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
heavier than average (595g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
61
MP count good (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
display is selfie friendly
doesn't have Time Lapse function
not so great battery pack (340 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax X-5 Landscape photography advice
Sony A33 Landscape photography advice
47
manual focus
reasonably wide (22mm)
screen size is decent (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
67
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
not so great battery pack (340 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax X-5 Vlogging highlights
Sony A33 Vlogging highlights
26
reasonably wide (22mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection autofocus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
screen isn't selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic support
heavier than average (595 grams)
77
display is selfie friendly
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has mic port
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Pentax X-5 vs Sony A33 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax X-5 and Sony A33
 Pentax X-5Sony SLT-A33
General Information
Brand Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax X-5 Sony SLT-A33
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2012-08-22 2010-08-24
Body design SLR-like (bridge) Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 27.7mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 6400 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 22-580mm (26.4x) -
Max aperture f/3.1-5.9 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 460k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 230k dot 1,150k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/1500 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 9.10 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Eye-Fi Connected
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 595 gr (1.31 pounds) 500 gr (1.10 pounds)
Physical dimensions 119 x 86 x 107mm (4.7" x 3.4" x 4.2") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 70
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 591
Other
Battery life 330 photos 340 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID 4 x AA NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Cost at release $230 $230