Pentax X90 vs Sony A550

Following is a complete assessment of the Pentax X90 versus Sony A550, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Pentax and Sony. The image resolution of the X90 (12MP) and the A550 (14MP) is very close but the X90 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) come with different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The X90 was revealed 7 months after the A550 and they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Pentax X90 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go in to a thorough comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the X90 scores vs the A550 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax X90 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The full galleries are viewable at Pentax X90 Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Pentax X90 has got external measurements of 111mm x 85mm x 110mm (4.4" x 3.3" x 4.3") and a weight of 428 grams (0.94 lbs) and the Sony A550 has dimensions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Pentax X90 versus Sony A550 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view size comparison of the X90 compared to the A550.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the X90 and A550 is 69 and 63 respectively.

Usually, it is difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes purely by looking through technical specs. The image below will help give you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the X90 and A550.

As you have seen, each of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The X90 using its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony A550 will render greater detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more recent X90 should have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.