Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A100

The following is a comprehensive assessment of the Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A100, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Pentax and Sony. The sensor resolution of the Q-S1 (12MP) and the A100 (10MP) is fairly comparable but the Q-S1 (1/1.7") and A100 (APS-C) provide different sensor size.

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The Q-S1 was introduced 8 years after the A100 which is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Pentax Q-S1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a simple summation of how the Q-S1 scores vs the A100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax Q-S1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The whole galleries are viewable at Pentax Q-S1 Gallery & Sony A100 Gallery.

For those who are looking to travel with your camera often, you have to factor its weight and volume. The Pentax Q-S1 features outside dimensions of 105mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 203 grams (0.45 lbs) while the Sony A100 has sizing of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") with a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).

Look at the Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A100 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have at that moment. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the Q-S1 versus the A100.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the Q-S1 and A100 is 92 and 64 respectively.

In many cases, it is difficult to picture the gap in sensor dimensions merely by going through a spec sheet. The image below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the Q-S1 and A100.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The Q-S1 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more difficult and the Pentax Q-S1 will show more detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images more aggressively. The more recent Q-S1 provides an edge with regard to sensor tech.