Sony A290 has a
14.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Bionz processor. On the other hand, Pentax K-500 has a
16.0MP APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features PRIME M processor.
Below you can see the A290 and K-500 sensor size comparison.
Sony A290 and Pentax K-500 have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Sony A290 and Pentax K-500 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that K-500 has a better overall score of 79, 13 points higher compared to A290's score of 66.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Sony A290 |
66 |
22.6 bits |
11.5 Evs |
615 ISO |
Pentax K-500 |
79 |
23.7 bits |
13.1 Evs |
1087 ISO |