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Pentax RS1500 vs Sony WX30

Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
30
Overall
34
Pentax Optio RS1500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30 front
Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
41
Overall
39

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony WX30 Key Specs

Pentax RS1500
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-110mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Introduced March 2011
Sony WX30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-125mm (F2.6-6.3) lens
  • 117g - 92 x 52 x 19mm
  • Released July 2011
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Pentax RS1500 vs Sony WX30 Overview

Below, we will be contrasting the Pentax RS1500 and Sony WX30, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by competitors Pentax and Sony. The sensor resolution of the RS1500 (14MP) and the WX30 (16MP) is relatively well matched and they feature the exact same sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The RS1500 was manufactured 4 months before the WX30 and they are both of a similar generation. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before delving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a simple view of how the RS1500 matches up against the WX30 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Pentax RS1500 over the Sony WX30

 RS1500 WX30 
Manually focus More accurate focusing

Reasons to pick Sony WX30 over the Pentax RS1500

 WX30 RS1500 
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Pentax RS1500 and Sony WX30

 RS1500 WX30 
ReleasedMarch 2011July 2011Similar generation
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony WX30 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Pentax RS1500 has got exterior measurements of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs) while the Sony WX30 has specifications of 92mm x 52mm x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7") along with a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Analyze the Pentax RS1500 and Sony WX30 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have during that time. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the RS1500 and the WX30.

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony WX30 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the RS1500 and WX30 is 93 and 96 respectively.

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony WX30 top view buttons comparison

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony WX30 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's difficult to imagine the gap between sensor measurements merely by checking a spec sheet. The graphic below might provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the RS1500 and WX30.

As you can see, both of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit different resolution. You should count on the Sony WX30 to resolve more detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively.

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony WX30 sensor size comparison

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony WX30 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax RS1500 vs Sony WX30 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax RS1500 Portrait photography details
Sony WX30 Portrait photography details
35
has manual focus
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
29
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not available
can't use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Pentax RS1500 Street photography factors
Sony WX30 Street photography factors
54
weather proofing
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (117 grams)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Pentax RS1500 Sports photography advice
Sony WX30 Sports photography advice
37
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proofing
slow fps (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
39
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16MP)
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Pentax RS1500 as a Travel photography camera
Sony WX30 as a Travel photography camera
67
weather proofing
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
does not have Timelapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
68
lighter than competition in class (117g)
good megapixels (16MP)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
doesn't have Timelapse function
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax RS1500 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony WX30 as a Landscape photography camera
40
has manual focus
pretty wide (28mm)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
weather proofing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not available
no image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW files
does not have Timelapse function
42
quite wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
manual exposure not available
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax RS1500 Vlogging details
Sony WX30 Vlogging details
25
pretty wide (28mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external microphone socket
35
quite wide (25mm)
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
lighter than competition in class (117 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f2.6)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone port
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Pentax RS1500 vs Sony WX30 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax RS1500 and Sony WX30
 Pentax Optio RS1500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30
General Information
Manufacturer Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax Optio RS1500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX30
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-03-16 2011-07-25
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - BIONZ
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4288 x 3216 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-110mm (3.9x) 25-125mm (5.0x)
Max aperture f/3.5-5.5 f/2.6-6.3
Macro focusing distance 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7" 3"
Display resolution 230k dot 922k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating XtraFine TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/1500 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.90 m 3.70 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 157 gr (0.35 lbs) 117 gr (0.26 lbs)
Dimensions 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") 92 x 52 x 19mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 260 photographs 250 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI92 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Retail pricing $150 $259