Pentax MX-1 vs Sony QX30

Following is a complete overview of the Pentax MX-1 and Sony QX30, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Lens-style by brands Pentax and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the MX-1 (12MP) and QX30 (20MP) and the MX-1 (1/1.7") and QX30 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor sizes.

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The MX-1 was announced 14 months prior to the QX30 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. The two cameras come with different body type with the Pentax MX-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony QX30 being a Lens-style camera.

Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a quick summary of how the MX-1 matches up against the QX30 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax MX-1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX30. The whole galleries are provided at Pentax MX-1 Gallery and Sony QX30 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Pentax MX-1 offers outer dimensions of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs) whilst the Sony QX30 has sizing of 68mm x 65mm x 58mm (2.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") having a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

See the Pentax MX-1 and Sony QX30 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the MX-1 and the QX30.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the MX-1 and QX30 is 84 and 91 respectively.

Normally, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizes purely by going over specs. The pic underneath might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the MX-1 and QX30.

As you can plainly see, both cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The MX-1 having a bigger sensor is going to make getting bokeh simpler and the Sony QX30 will offer you extra detail with its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will help you crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged MX-1 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.