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Pentax E90

 
Pentax Optio E90 front
 
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 32-95mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
  • 145g - 102 x 59 x 25mm
  • Released January 2010
  • Read full specs
  • Alternatives
  • Size Comparison
  • FAQ
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
11
Overall
24

Pentax E90 summary

Pentax E90 is Pentax's Small Sensor Compact camera originally released on January of 2010. The camera houses a 10MP, CCD 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a max resolution of 3648 x 2736.

The E90 is rated #254 out of 261 in Small Sensor Compact cameras & over-all #1251 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our collection. You should try out our Advanced camera finder to see camera results based on your custom criteria.

Photography Glossary

Here is a diagram of various factors used in the rating system.

Pentax E90 family

The Pentax E90 has a history of related digital cameras. Listed below, you can check out all earlier and new models as well as important specifications.

ModelVisualizeLensResolutionSensor SizeReleased
Pentax-Optio-E90 front thumbnailPentax E9032-95mm
F3.1-5.9
10MP1/2.3"2010
Pentax-Optio-E85 front thumbnailPentax E85
E90 vs E85
32-96mm
F2.9-5.2
12MP1/2.3"2009
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Pentax-Optio-E70 front thumbnailPentax E70
E90 vs E70
35-105mm
F3.1-5.9
10MP1/2.3"2009

Pentax E90 Pros and Cons

Below is a checklist of advantages and disadvantages of the Pentax E90 based on factors which are usually considered essential in a camera.

above average minimum ISO (80)
built in lens has zoom (32-95mm 3.0 x zoom)
has built in flash
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
doesn't have external mic socket
doesn't have HDMI socket
doesn't have headphone socket
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
does not have a selfie friendly display
does not have image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
does not have RAW files
external flash not possible
low MP (10 megapixels)
manual exposure not possible
manual focus not available
max zoom aperture not good (f5.9)
no aperture priority
no articulating screen
no shutter priority mode
pixelated screen (230 thousand dots)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
wide angle not good (32mm)
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Pentax E90 Sensor details

The Pentax E90 is powered by the Prime processor chip. The sensor dimension in the Pentax E90 is 6.08mm x 4.56mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor can capture 3648 x 2736 pixels and aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9.

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The CCD sensor has 10 megapixels and delivers a native ISO range of 80 - 3200. Unfortunately, RAW photos are not supported so the user has less room to maneuver in post.

The image underneath displays the E90's sensor dimensions in comparison to other common sizes. The E90 sensor has a crop factor of 5.9 and is highlighted in green.

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To get an understanding of different aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Pentax E90 dimensions

Pentax E90 is 0.32 lb (145g / 5.11 oz) & has outside proportions of 102mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0"). The weight of typical Small Sensor Compact camera is 174g so the Pentax E90 is less heavy in comparison with various rivals.

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Here is a image of the Pentax E90 with a soft drink to help you to get a sense of its scale.

Pentax Optio E90 dimensions scale

The top view underneath will illustrate the button layout on the E90.

Pentax Optio E90 topview buttons dials

Pentax E90 Lens specs

The E90 features an inbuilt lens and it has a focal range of 32-95mm making it a 3.0 x zoom which may not be amazing nevertheless it will definitely be helpful in certain cases.

At the widest 32mm, the lens features an aperture of f3.1 and that's very slow and not the best for low light occasions and you will probably find it hard to get a shallow depth of field. You could also need to boost the ISO which results in noisy files. At the tele end, 95mm comes to f5.9 which is fairly slow and you would need to choose slow shutter speeds.

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Pentax E90 Connectivity

The E90 has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes

Digital cameras which have NFC or Bluetooth compatibility can easily be controlled wirelessly via smartphones. You can copy pictures and at times alter camera settings without connecting directly to the camera.

Several applications even allow a Liveview and hit the shutter whenever you are not near the camera. If the camera contains a HDMI port, it could be connected to an external screen. Most cameras enable you to recharge the battery pack using the USB socket.

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Pentax E90 Video specs

The max video quality in the Pentax E90 is 1280 x 720 and you can shoot in Motion JPEG format. 720p is awful for today's standards. You should shoot for a minimum 1080p quality for video recording. The camera does not have a microphone or headphone jack so you have got little control over the audio. It is perhaps best to look at a different model if you want better audio for your video clips.

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Pentax E90 Weather Sealing

There is no environment sealing for the Pentax E90 so you need to be careful in wet or dusty conditions.

Pentax E90 Display and Viewfinder

The Pentax E90 is equipped with a 2.7 inch fixed display supporting a resolution of 230 thousand dots.

Unfortunately the display is not a touch screen.

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The ViewFinder specifications for Pentax E90 are as follows:

  • ViewFinder None

For sunny outdoor conditions which make the camera displays washed out and tricky to see, viewfinders can be particularly useful.

Pentax E90 Shutter specs

The highest shutter speed is 1/2000 sec.

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Pentax E90 Flash and Hot shoe specs

Pentax E90 features only integrated flash without external flash support.

Pentax E90 Autofocusing specs

Pentax E90 features just Contrast Detect AF & is missing Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection focusing is a lot more faster & exact in comparison with Contrast Detect focusing.

The Sensor supports 3 focus points to select from. Pentax E90 lacks manual focus. Manual focus mode is useful in low light or you want more exact control on depth of field.

Photography Glossary

Pentax E90 Battery life

The usual Small Sensor Compact camera battery life is 241. Fujifilm X30 comes with the maximum (470) battery life in this type of cameras.

Listed below is a listing of Small Sensor Compact cameras with the highest battery life:

Pentax E90 for various categories of photography

The following graph displays a rundown of the Pentax E90 for various categories of photography. To look at more, visit the specific paragraph underneath.

Pentax E90 Portrait photography factors

The Pentax E90 receives a points tally of 19 which is dreadful, and means the camera is simply not very good for portraits. Photographing portraits favors greatly towards sensor dimension, support for RAW files and potential to use external lighting.

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no manual focus
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW format

Pentax E90 Street photography advice

Getting a reasonable points tally of 47, the Pentax E90 is relatively acceptable to use in street photography. A good street photography camera features a good balance of picture quality and portability.

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screen is fixed
no image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format

Pentax E90 as a Sports photography camera

A dreadful sports photography points tally of 16 indicates the Pentax E90 is simply not very good for taking photos of sports. A camera needs to have good focusing plus shutter speeds for sports photography.

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no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus

Pentax E90 Travel photography features

Weight is very important when selecting a travel camera. On the whole, the Pentax E90 gets a modest 50 as a travel camera which is reasonably suitable to purchase for your vacations.

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flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse recording
MP count low (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
wide angle not the best (32mm)
slow max aperture (f3.1)

Pentax E90 Landscape photography info

For anybody looking to choose a camera for landscape photography, the biggest aspect will be image quality. The Pentax E90 with it's dreadful score of 22 for a landscape camera is simply not very good in the current market.

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focusing manually not possible
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (32mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.1)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual mode not available
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
no Timelapse mode

Pentax E90 Vlogging info

A camera for vlogging really should offer a moving display screen, mic input and preferably IBIS. Considering everything, the Pentax E90 is simply not very good as a vlog camera as it gets a dreadful rating of 22.

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wide angle not the best (32mm)
slow max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pxls)
lack of mic socket

Pentax E90 Alternatives

If you are searching for replacements to the E90, below is a collection of the highest placed cameras that fall in to the family of Small Sensor Compact.

The graph here provides you an overview of the E90 vs it's highest scored competitors mentioned earlier.

These are some more cameras you may view as alternative options. To review a complete comparison, just click on the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Manufacturer
Pentax
Model
Pentax Optio E90
Category
Small Sensor Compact
Released
2010-01-25
Physical type
Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type
CCD
Chip
Prime
Sensor size
1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions
6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area
27.7mm²
Sensor resolution
10 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio
4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution
3648 x 2736
RAW support
Max native ISO
3200
Minimum native ISO
80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points
3
Lens
Lens mounting type
fixed lens
Lens focal range
32-95mm (3.0x)
Maximal aperture
f/3.1-5.9
Macro focus distance
6cm
Crop factor
5.9
Screen
Type of display
Fixed Type
Display sizing
2.7 inch
Resolution of display
230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type
None
DXO scores
DXO Overall score
not tested
DXO Color Depth score
not tested
DXO Dynamic range score
not tested
DXO Low light score
not tested
Features
Min shutter speed
4 seconds
Max shutter speed
1/2000 seconds
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range
3.50 m
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions
1280 x 720 (15 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution
1280x720
Video data format
Motion JPEG
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless
None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight
145g (0.32 pounds)
Physical dimensions
102 x 59 x 25mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.0")
Other
Battery model
2 x AA
Self timer
Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type
SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots
Single
Price at release
$100