Pentax I-10 vs Sony A100
93 Imaging
35 Features
24 Overall
30


64 Imaging
48 Features
38 Overall
44
Pentax I-10 vs Sony A100 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-140mm (F3.5-5.9) lens
- 153g - 101 x 65 x 28mm
- Released January 2010
(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
- Launched July 2006
- Succeeded the Konica Minolta 5D
- New Model is Sony A550

Pentax I-10 vs Sony A100 Overview
Here is a complete assessment of the Pentax I-10 vs Sony A100, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Pentax and Sony. The image resolution of the I-10 (12MP) and the A100 (10MP) is pretty similar but the I-10 (1/2.3") and A100 (APS-C) come with different sensor measurements.

The I-10 was brought out 3 years later than the A100 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Pentax I-10 being a Compact camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the I-10 grades versus the A100 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Pentax I-10 vs Sony A100 Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax Optio I-10 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The entire galleries are available at Pentax I-10 Gallery & Sony A100 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax I-10 over the Sony A100
I-10 | A100 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | January 2010 | ![]() | July 2006 | Fresher by 43 months |
Screen dimension | 2.7" | ![]() | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.2") |
Reasons to pick Sony A100 over the Pentax I-10
A100 | I-10 |
---|
Common features in the Pentax I-10 and Sony A100
I-10 | A100 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Dial accurate focusing | ||
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen resolution | 230k | ![]() | 230k | Same screen resolution |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Neither includes selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly screen | ![]() | Lack of Touch friendly screen |
Pentax I-10 vs Sony A100 Physical Comparison
When you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Pentax I-10 features outer dimensions of 101mm x 65mm x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1") and a weight of 153 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Sony A100 has dimensions of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") having a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).
Look at the Pentax I-10 vs Sony A100 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are using during that time. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the I-10 compared to the A100.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the I-10 and A100 is 93 and 64 respectively.

Pentax I-10 vs Sony A100 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it's tough to imagine the difference between sensor sizing just by reading a spec sheet. The visual underneath may provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the I-10 and A100.
Clearly, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The I-10 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Pentax I-10 will offer greater detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs much more aggressively. The newer I-10 should have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Pentax I-10 vs Sony A100 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax I-10 vs Sony A100 Specifications
Pentax Optio I-10 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Pentax | Sony |
Model type | Pentax Optio I-10 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 |
Class | Small Sensor Compact | Entry-Level DSLR |
Released | 2010-01-25 | 2006-07-31 |
Body design | Compact | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | Prime | - |
Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.6 x 15.8mm |
Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 372.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 12 megapixel | 10 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 4:3 and 16:9 | 3:2 |
Peak resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 3872 x 2592 |
Highest native ISO | 6400 | 1600 |
Minimum native ISO | 80 | 100 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Total focus points | 9 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Lens zoom range | 28-140mm (5.0x) | - |
Maximum aperture | f/3.5-5.9 | - |
Macro focusing range | 10cm | - |
Available lenses | - | 143 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
Screen size | 2.7 inch | 2.5 inch |
Screen resolution | 230 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 95% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.55x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 4s | 30s |
Max shutter speed | 1/2000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter speed | 1.0fps | 3.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 4.00 m | - |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft | Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Max flash sync | - | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) | - |
Highest video resolution | 1280x720 | None |
Video format | Motion JPEG | - |
Mic jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 153 grams (0.34 lbs) | 638 grams (1.41 lbs) |
Dimensions | 101 x 65 x 28mm (4.0" x 2.6" x 1.1") | 133 x 95 x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | 61 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 22.0 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 11.2 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 476 |
Other | ||
Battery ID | D-LI92 | NP-FM55H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC, Internal | Compact Flash (Type I or II) |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch pricing | $310 | $1,000 |