Pentax WS80 vs Sony NEX-7

Its time to examine more in depth at the Pentax WS80 and Sony NEX-7, one being a Waterproof and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by manufacturers Pentax and Sony. There is a significant difference among the resolutions of the WS80 (10MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the WS80 (1/2.3") and NEX-7 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The WS80 was launched 3 years before the NEX-7 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Pentax WS80 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving in to a in depth comparison, below is a brief view of how the WS80 matches up vs the NEX-7 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax Optio WS80 and Sony Alpha NEX-7. The complete galleries are available at Pentax WS80 Gallery and Sony NEX-7 Gallery.

If you're intending to lug around your camera, you're going to have to think about its weight and size. The Pentax WS80 has got physical measurements of 92mm x 60mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.4" x 0.9") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Sony NEX-7 has specifications of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") and a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Check out the Pentax WS80 and Sony NEX-7 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose during that time. Following is the front view scale comparison of the WS80 and the NEX-7.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the WS80 and NEX-7 is 95 and 84 respectively.

Often, it's difficult to see the difference in sensor measurements just by researching a spec sheet. The graphic underneath might offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the WS80 and NEX-7.

Clearly, both of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The WS80 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony NEX-7 will result in more detail utilizing its extra 14 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots much more aggressively. The older WS80 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.