Pentax K20D vs Sony A99

Sony A99 advantages over Pentax K20D

• Focus peaking
  Peaker vs Non-peaker
  Your camera will highlight what's in focus
• Larger sensor
  35mm vs APS-C
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Tilt-swivel screen
  Tilt-swivel vs none
  Tilt and swivel the screen for maximum shooting flexibility
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 5.97 vs 5.05 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• In-camera panoramas
  Yes vs No
  Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  A99 test data on DxO Mark K20D test data on DxO Mark
  1,555 vs 639 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  A99 test data on DxO Mark K20D test data on DxO Mark
  13.9 vs 11.1 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• Built-in GPS
  GPS vs None
  Geotag your photos
• External Mic Jack
  Jack vs No jack
  Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
• HDMI out
  HDMI out vs None
  Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
• Shoots 24p video
  Yes vs No
  Gives your movies a big-screen feel
• More dots on screen
  1229k vs 230k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Shoots 1080p video
  Yes vs No
  You'll want this if you shoot video
• More viewfinder magnification
  0.71x vs 0.63x
  Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
• More pixels
  24.3 vs 14.6 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Shoots 60p video
  Yes vs No
  A faster framerate can give you more editing options
• Dual card slots
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more storage flexibility
• More AF points
  19 vs 11
  More AF points improve autofocus
• Headphone jack
  Yes vs No
  Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
• Faster JPEG shooting
  5.9 fps vs 2.8 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  51200 vs 6400 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility