Pentax
K-x
 vs
Sony
SLT-A55

Updated (August, 2011): Compare the Pentax K-x vs Sony SLT-A65

Pentax K-x

70
Winner

Pentax K-x
"Image stabilisation via the camera body is a great feature that works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions."
photographyblog.com | talking about the K-x's image-stabilization
"The camera has a deep, contoured handgrip on the right-hand side, coated in a rubberized compound to aid grip, that enabled me to use three fingers to hold it and my right forefinger to operate the shutter button."
photographyblog.com | talking about the K-x's feel

Reasons to buy the Pentax K-x

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Sensor size
 Large sensor
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Pentamirror
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
97 ms shutter lag
Sony SLT-A55

62
Runner-up

Sony SLT-A55
"The A55 feels like a cross between a good midrange DSLR and a high-end 'bridge' model, but its focus system and large, high-resolution viewfinder surpass our expectations of both types of camera."
dpreview.com | talking about the SLT-A55's feel
"The Sony Alpha SLT A55 is completely new designs which offer several key advantages over 'traditional' DSLR technology."
dpreview.com | talking about the SLT-A55's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Sony SLT-A55

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
10 fps
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Panorama
 In-camera panoramas
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama

differences

Advantages of the Pentax K-x
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Viewfinder Has an optical viewfinder Pentamirror vs Digital
Help
 Optical viewfinders save battery life and are more detailed
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 97 ms vs 220 ms
Help
 2.3x less delay when taking photos
Cross type focus points Significantly more cross-type focus points 9 vs 3
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Startup delay Less startup delay 600 ms vs 900 ms
Help
 More than 30% less delay when turning on
Size Significantly smaller 123x92x68 mm vs 124x92x85 mm
Help
 More than 20% smaller
Thickness Much thinner 2.7" vs 3.3"
Help
 20% thinner
Battery life Longer battery life 420 shots vs 350 shots
Help
 20% more shots per battery charge
Sensor size Slightly larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs APS-C 23.5x15.6mm
Help
 Almost the same
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/6000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 More than 30% faster max shutter speed
Pentax K-x Learn more about
the Pentax K-x

Advantages of the Sony SLT-A55
Screen size Much larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 921k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 More than 4x higher resolution screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster 10 fps vs 4.7 fps
Help
 More than 2x faster continuous shooting
Autofocus Video autofocus Phase detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
GPS Has a GPS Yes vs No
Help
 Automatically geotags your photos when traveling
True resolution Significantly higher true resolution 16 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 30% more detail in your photos
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The SLT-A55's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Focus points More focus points 15 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 12,800 ISO
Help
 The SLT-A55's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality 73.0 vs 72.0
Help
 Almost the same
Color depth Better color depth 23 bits vs 22.8 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.2 more bits of color
Weight Lighter 500 g vs 580 g
Help
 More than 10% lighter
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $598.00 vs $674.92
Help
 The best price we've seen is $77 cheaper (more than 10% less)
Sony SLT-A55 Learn more about
the Sony SLT-A55
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent entry-level DSLRs, and ignoring price

Pentax K-x Pentax K-x
70 vs 62
Explain scores
Sony SLT-A55 Sony SLT-A55
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Pentax K-x.

advice

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similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Dynamic range Good dynamic range Help
K-x:12.5 EV
SLT-A55:12.4 EV
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Sensor shift
HDR In-camera HDR Help
Combines multiple exposures
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Battery life Few shots per battery charge Help
K-x:420 shots
SLT-A55:350 shots
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D5100 vs the K-x
Compare the D5100 vs the SLT-A55
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the K-x
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the SLT-A55
Pentax K-r

Pentax K-r

Entry-level DSLR

$631 - $649 with 18-55mm lens
Startup delay Has slightly less startup delay
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the K-r vs the K-x
Compare the K-r vs the SLT-A55
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3100 vs the K-x
Compare the D3100 vs the SLT-A55
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Lens availability Significantly more lenses available
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Sensor size Has a slightly smaller sensor
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the K-x
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the SLT-A55
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$848 - $1,304 body only

$1,177 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Viewfinder Has higher quality type of viewfinder
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the K-x
Compare the EOS 60D vs the SLT-A55
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Viewfinder size Slightly larger viewfinder
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the D90 vs the K-x
Compare the D90 vs the SLT-A55

Pentax K-x Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages

No significant competitors found that are specific to the Pentax K-x.

Sony SLT-A55 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony SLT A57

Sony SLT A57

Entry-level DSLR

$698 - $700 body only

$798 - $800 with 18-55mm lens
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Continuous shooting Shoots faster
GPS No built-in GPS
Size Larger
Compare the SLT A57 vs the SLT-A55
Sony SLT-A65

Sony SLT A65

Entry-level DSLR

$898 body only

$998 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Much higher true resolution
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Size Larger
Compare the SLT A65 vs the SLT-A55
Sony SLT A35

Sony SLT A35

Entry-level DSLR

$598 body only

$629 with 18-70mm lens
Color depth Better color depth
Overall image quality Slightly better image quality
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly slower
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Compare the SLT A35 vs the SLT-A55
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580

Sony Alpha DSLR-A580

Entry-level DSLR

$949 with 55-200mm lens
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Better image quality
GPS No built-in GPS
Continuous shooting Shoots significantly slower
Compare the Alpha DSLR-A580 vs the SLT-A55

appearance

Pentax K-x Sony SLT-A55
Pentax K-x Sony SLT-A55
Pentax K-x Sony SLT-A55

discussion

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