Pentax S1 vs Sony WX1

Lets look a little more closely at the Pentax S1 versus Sony WX1, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Ultracompact by companies Pentax and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the S1 (14MP) and WX1 (10MP) and the S1 (1/2.3") and WX1 (1/2.4") posses different sensor size.

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The S1 was manufactured 20 months after the WX1 making them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Pentax S1 being a Compact camera and the Sony WX1 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise summary of how the S1 scores versus the WX1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax Optio S1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1. The entire galleries are provided at Pentax S1 Gallery and Sony WX1 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Pentax S1 offers outside dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 157 grams (0.35 lbs) whilst the Sony WX1 has measurements of 91mm x 52mm x 20mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.8") with a weight of 149 grams (0.33 lbs).

Check the Pentax S1 versus Sony WX1 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use at that time. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the S1 against the WX1.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the S1 and WX1 is 93 and 96 respectively.

Sometimes, it's hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizes only by reading through a spec sheet. The picture below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the S1 and WX1.

Clearly, both of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The S1 featuring a larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh simpler and the Pentax S1 will give you extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos way more aggressively. The more recent S1 should have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.