Pentax WS80 vs Sony A580

The following is a comprehensive overview of the Pentax WS80 vs Sony A580, one is a Waterproof and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Pentax and Sony. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the WS80 (10MP) and A580 (16MP) and the WS80 (1/2.3") and A580 (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The WS80 was unveiled 21 months before the A580 making them a generation away from each other. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Pentax WS80 being a Compact camera and the Sony A580 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the WS80 scores vs the A580 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax Optio WS80 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A580. The full galleries are available at Pentax WS80 Gallery and Sony A580 Gallery.

If you're looking to travel with your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Pentax WS80 enjoys external dimensions of 92mm x 60mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.4" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Sony A580 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Check the Pentax WS80 vs Sony A580 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilising at that moment. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the WS80 against the A580.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the WS80 and A580 is 95 and 64 respectively.

Often, it is very hard to visualize the difference in sensor dimensions just by looking through a spec sheet. The pic underneath may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the WS80 and A580.

As you can see, both of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The WS80 having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF harder and the Sony A580 will provide you with more detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics more aggressively. The more aged WS80 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.