Pentax WG-1 vs Sony A58

Its time to look a little more closely at the Pentax WG-1 vs Sony A58, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Pentax and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the WG-1 (14MP) and A58 (20MP) and the WG-1 (1/2.3") and A58 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The WG-1 was unveiled 3 years before the A58 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Pentax WG-1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A58 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before we go through a complete comparison, below is a quick view of how the WG-1 grades against the A58 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax Optio WG-1 and Sony SLT-A58. The full galleries are available at Pentax WG-1 Gallery and Sony A58 Gallery.

If you're aiming to lug around your camera, you should factor in its weight and volume. The Pentax WG-1 has got outside 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 A58 has sizing of 129mm x 95mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 3.1") accompanied by a weight of 492 grams (1.08 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax WG-1 vs Sony A58 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have at the time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the WG-1 versus the A58.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the WG-1 and A58 is 93 and 68 respectively.

Sometimes, its tough to envision the gap between sensor measurements simply by reviewing technical specs. The photograph below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the WG-1 and A58.

As you can tell, each of these cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The WG-1 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony A58 will offer you extra detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also let you crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older WG-1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.