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Pentax S1 vs Sony A7R IV

Portability
93
Imaging
37
Features
31
Overall
34
Pentax Optio S1 front
 
Sony Alpha A7R IV front
Portability
62
Imaging
80
Features
93
Overall
85

Pentax S1 vs Sony A7R IV Key Specs

Pentax S1
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 157g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Launched March 2011
Sony A7R IV
(Full Review)
  • 61MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Bump to 102800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 665g - 129 x 96 x 78mm
  • Revealed July 2019
  • Superseded the Sony A7R III
  • Updated by Sony A7R V
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Pentax S1 vs Sony A7R IV Overview

The following is a detailed review of the Pentax S1 vs Sony A7R IV, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Pentax and Sony. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the S1 (14MP) and A7R IV (61MP) and the S1 (1/2.3") and A7R IV (Full frame) possess different sensor sizing.

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The S1 was released 9 years earlier than the A7R IV which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A7R IV being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going through a complete comparison, below is a brief overview of how the S1 scores against the A7R IV for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Pentax S1 over the Sony A7R IV

 S1 A7R IV 

Reasons to pick Sony A7R IV over the Pentax S1

 A7R IV S1 
RevealedJuly 2019March 2011Newer by 101 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1440k230kCrisper screen (+1210k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Pentax S1 and Sony A7R IV

 S1 A7R IV 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Pentax S1 vs Sony A7R IV Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to travel with your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Pentax S1 has physical measurements of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony A7R IV has dimensions of 129mm x 96mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1") having a weight of 665 grams (1.47 lbs).

Contrast the Pentax S1 vs Sony A7R IV in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the S1 and the A7R IV.

Pentax S1 vs Sony A7R IV size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the S1 and A7R IV is 93 and 62 respectively.

Pentax S1 vs Sony A7R IV top view buttons comparison

Pentax S1 vs Sony A7R IV Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its hard to picture the gap in sensor dimensions purely by seeing specs. The pic underneath may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the S1 and A7R IV.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The S1 due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A7R IV will show more detail as a result of its extra 47 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more aged S1 will be behind in sensor technology.

Pentax S1 vs Sony A7R IV sensor size comparison

Pentax S1 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax S1 vs Sony A7R IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax S1 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A7R IV as a Portrait photography camera
35
has manual focus
decent MP (14 megapixels)
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
88
manual focus
fantastic MP (61MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
has face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Pentax S1 Street photography advice
Sony A7R IV Street photography advice
56
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
79
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
supports touch focus
weather proof
great high ISO (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Pentax S1
Sports photography with Sony A7R IV
39
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14MP)
comes with tracking focus
max fps very slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
90
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic MP (61 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
has tracking focus
weather proof
great battery power (670 shots)
supports phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Pentax S1 Travel photography details
Sony A7R IV Travel photography details
64
decent MP (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
74
great battery power (670 shots)
weather proof
supports bluetooth
supports touch focus
fantastic MP (61 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax S1 Landscape photography features
Sony A7R IV Landscape photography features
42
has manual focus
pretty wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (14MP)
cannot swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
small screen (2.7")
no manual mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse mode
88
manual focus
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic MP (61 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
great high ISO (32,000)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
great battery power (670 CIPA)
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax S1 Vlogging factors
Sony A7R IV Vlogging factors
28
pretty wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have microphone port
37
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 resolution)
comes with mic support
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
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Pentax S1 vs Sony A7R IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax S1 and Sony A7R IV
 Pentax Optio S1Sony Alpha A7R IV
General Information
Company Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax Optio S1 Sony Alpha A7R IV
Category Small Sensor Compact Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2011-03-02 2019-07-16
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 61 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4288 x 3216 9504 x 6336
Max native ISO 6400 32000
Max boosted ISO - 102800
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Min boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 9 567
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.5 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 1,440 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology TFT color LCD with Anti-reflective coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 5,760 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/1500 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 1.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 3.90 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync.
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 1280x720 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 157g (0.35 pounds) 665g (1.47 pounds)
Dimensions 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") 129 x 96 x 78mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 99
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.8
DXO Low light rating not tested 3344
Other
Battery life 260 photographs 670 photographs
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI92 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II compatible)
Card slots One Two
Cost at launch $174 $3,498