Clicky

Pentax K-S1 vs Sony A100

Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
70
Overall
65
Pentax K-S1 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 front
Portability
64
Imaging
48
Features
38
Overall
44

Pentax K-S1 vs Sony A100 Key Specs

Pentax K-S1
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/6000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • 558g - 121 x 93 x 70mm
  • Revealed August 2014
  • Updated by Pentax K-S2
Sony A100
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 638g - 133 x 95 x 71mm
  • Released July 2006
  • Replaced the Konica Minolta 5D
  • Renewed by Sony A550
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Pentax K-S1 vs Sony A100 Overview

Its time to take a closer look at the Pentax K-S1 vs Sony A100, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Pentax and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the image resolutions of the K-S1 (20MP) and A100 (10MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor sizes (APS-C).

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The K-S1 was launched 8 years after the A100 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Pentax K-S1 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short summation of how the K-S1 grades against the A100 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

        

Reasons to pick Pentax K-S1 over the Sony A100

 K-S1 A100 
ReleasedAugust 2014July 2006More modern by 99 months
Screen dimensions3"2.5"Bigger screen (+0.5")
Screen resolution921k230kSharper screen (+691k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A100 over the Pentax K-S1

 A100 K-S1 

Common features in the Pentax K-S1 and Sony A100

 K-S1 A100 
Focus manually Very accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Missing Touch friendly screen

Pentax K-S1 vs Sony A100 Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and size. The Pentax K-S1 offers external measurements of 121mm x 93mm x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") having a weight of 558 grams (1.23 lbs) whilst the Sony A100 has specifications of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

Check out the Pentax K-S1 vs Sony A100 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the K-S1 versus the A100.

Pentax K-S1 vs Sony A100 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the K-S1 and A100 is 69 and 64 respectively.

Pentax K-S1 vs Sony A100 top view buttons comparison

Pentax K-S1 vs Sony A100 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizes merely by going over a spec sheet. The picture here might give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the K-S1 and A100.

As you can see, both of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same MP. You can count on the Pentax K-S1 to offer greater detail utilizing its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will let you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The fresher K-S1 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Pentax K-S1 vs Sony A100 sensor size comparison

Pentax K-S1 vs Sony A100 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax K-S1 vs Sony A100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Pentax K-S1
Portrait photography with Sony A100
77
manual focus
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with face detect focus
exports RAW files
52
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
does not have liveview
megapixel count low (10MP)
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Street Comparison

Pentax K-S1 Street photography features
Sony A100 Street photography features
73
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lighter than average in class (558g)
very good high ISO (51,200)
fixed screen
64
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no moving screen
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Sports Comparison

Pentax K-S1 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A100 as a Sports photography camera
69
high shutter speed (1/6,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
comes with phase detect auto focus
max fps very slow (5.4 fps)
not so great battery power (410 per charge)
49
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
low frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Travel Comparison

Pentax K-S1 Travel photography factors
Sony A100 Travel photography factors
60
lighter than average in class (558g)
resolution is good (20MP)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
not so great battery power (410 per charge)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
45
flash built-in
lack of Timelapse mode
megapixel count low (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Pentax K-S1 Landscape photography features
Sony A100 Landscape photography features
73
manual focus
switch lenses (Pentax KAF2 mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
does not have anti-alias filter
very good high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW files
not so great battery power (410 per charge)
lack of Timelapse recording
53
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
screen is small (2.5 inches)
does not have liveview
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
lack of Timelapse mode
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Pentax K-S1
Vlogging with Sony A100
33
image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than average in class (558g)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
lack of microphone port
9
lack of video recording
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Pentax K-S1 vs Sony A100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax K-S1 and Sony A100
 Pentax K-S1Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
General Information
Make Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax K-S1 Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
Class Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2014-08-27 2006-07-31
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Prime MII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2
Maximum resolution 5472 x 3648 3872 x 2592
Maximum native ISO 51200 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens support Pentax KAF2 Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 151 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 2.5"
Resolution of display 921 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.64x 0.55x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/6000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.4fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash options Auto, auto + redeye, on, on + redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync, manual Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30,25,24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60,50 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format H.264 -
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 558g (1.23 lb) 638g (1.41 lb)
Physical dimensions 121 x 93 x 70mm (4.8" x 3.7" x 2.8") 133 x 95 x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 78 61
DXO Color Depth rating 23.5 22.0
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.0 11.2
DXO Low light rating 1061 476
Other
Battery life 410 photos -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID D-LI109 NP-FM55H
Self timer Yes ( 2 or 12 seconds) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC Compact Flash (Type I or II)
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $339 $1,000