Sony Alpha SLT-A99 vs Pentax Q7

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sony Alpha SLT-A99 and the Pentax Q7, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Sony Alpha SLT-A99 was introduced in December 2012 and Pentax Q7 was introduced in August 2013. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha SLT-A99 over Pentax Q7.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Pentax Q7 over Sony Alpha SLT-A99.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Sony Alpha SLT-A99 and Pentax Q7 have 3.0" screens with 1,229k dot and 460k dot resolutions respectively. Sony Alpha SLT-A99 has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Pentax Q7 has a Fixed screen

Viewfinder

Sony Alpha SLT-A99 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,359k dot resolution. It has a 100% coverage and 0.71x magnification.Pentax Q7 does not have a built-in viewfinder but an optional optical viewfinder can be attached.

Sony Alpha SLT-A99 features a 24.3 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.8 x 23.8 mm and a total area of 852 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 25,600. Pentax Q7 features a 12.4 megapixel 1/1.7-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 7.44 x 5.58 mm and a total area of 31.1 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800.

Pentax Q7 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Sony Alpha SLT-A99 is equipped with BIONZ processor and can take pictures up to 6000 x 4000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 6000 x 3376, 3936 x 2624, 3936 x 2216, 2640 x 1760, 2640 x 1488 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios. Pentax Q7 can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 2664, 4000 x 2248, 3072 x 2304, 3072 x 2048, 3072 x 1728, 2992 x 2992, 2304 x 2304, 1920 x 1440, 1920 x 1280, 1920 x 1080, 1440 x 1440 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Sony Alpha SLT-A99 has Sony A lens mount and Pentax Q7 has Pentax Q lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor in Sony Alpha SLT-A99 its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length. Due to 1/1.7-inch sensor in Pentax Q7 its crop factor is equal to 4.7x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 4.7.

In-Body Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when cameras are paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in GPS on Sony Alpha SLT-A99

Sony Alpha SLT-A99 has a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System) technology which allows you to automatically tag the location where you took your photos. You can later categorize, organize, and search for photos based on location. This is very useful for travel and outdoor photographers for documenting the locations where images were captured.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in GPS.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Sony Alpha SLT-A99 has a Mini Type C HDMI and Pentax Q7 has a output terminal Type D HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Sony Alpha SLT-A99 comes with NP-FM500H battery pack with battery life of 500 shots and Pentax Q7 comes with D-LI68 battery pack with battery life of 250 shots.

External Storage Slots

Sony Alpha SLT-A99 has two card slots - one for Single Slot: SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo and one for . Pentax Q7 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) and Eye-Fi Card card slot.

Shutter

Sony Alpha SLT-A99 has Electronically controlled Vertical-traverse Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Sony Alpha SLT-A99, and up to 1/2000 sec on Pentax Q7. Sony Alpha SLT-A99 can shoot continuously up to 6.0 fps. Pentax Q7 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps.

Flash

Pentax Q7 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 4.90 m (ISO100/m) and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. Sony Alpha SLT-A99 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec on Sony Alpha SLT-A99 and 1/2000 sec on Pentax Q7.

Sony Alpha SLT-A99 body has dimensions of 147 x 111 x 78 mm (5.79 x 4.37 x 3.07") and Pentax Q7 body has dimensions of 102 x 58 x 34 mm (4.02 x 2.28 x 1.34"). Sony Alpha SLT-A99 weighs 812 g (1.79 lb / 28.64 oz) and Pentax Q7 weighs 200 g (0.44 lb / 7.05 oz).

Sony Alpha SLT-A99

Pentax Q7

147 mm

111 mm

102 mm

58 mm

111 mm

58 mm

78 mm

34 mm