Clicky

Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A37

Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
54
Overall
43
Pentax Q-S1 front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
65
Overall
59

Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A37 Key Specs

Pentax Q-S1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax Q Mount
  • 203g - 105 x 58 x 34mm
  • Introduced August 2014
Sony A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Launched May 2012
  • Earlier Model is Sony A35
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A37 Overview

In this article, we will be contrasting the Pentax Q-S1 versus Sony A37, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Pentax and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the Q-S1 (12MP) and A37 (16MP) and the Q-S1 (1/1.7") and A37 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The Q-S1 was launched 2 years later than the A37 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Pentax Q-S1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a more detailed comparison, below is a concise summation of how the Q-S1 scores vs the A37 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

        

Reasons to pick Pentax Q-S1 over the Sony A37

 Q-S1 A37 
LaunchedAugust 2014May 2012More recent by 27 months
Screen sizing3"2.6"Bigger screen (+0.4")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Pentax Q-S1

 A37 Q-S1 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Pentax Q-S1 and Sony A37

 Q-S1 A37 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch screen Lack of Touch screen

Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you have to think about its weight and measurements. The Pentax Q-S1 offers external measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 203 grams (0.45 lbs) and the Sony A37 has proportions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Check the Pentax Q-S1 versus Sony A37 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the Q-S1 vs the A37.

Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A37 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the Q-S1 and A37 is 92 and 67 respectively.

Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison

Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is difficult to see the gap in sensor measurements purely by going through specifications. The photograph below should give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the Q-S1 and A37.

Plainly, each of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The Q-S1 because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A37 will produce extra detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots far more aggressively. The more modern Q-S1 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison

Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax Q-S1 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A37 Portrait photography highlights
46
manual focus
has face detection focus
delivers RAW files
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor size is small (1/1.7")
73
manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
includes face detect focus
supports RAW files
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Pentax Q-S1 Street photography highlights
Sony A37 Street photography highlights
69
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
delivers RAW files
lighter than competition in class (203 grams)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/1.7")
77
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
very good ISO range (25,600)
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Sports Comparison

Pentax Q-S1 Sports photography information
Sony A37 Sports photography information
37
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has tracking autofocus
low frames per second (5.0 fps)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/1.7")
low battery life (250 shots)
lack of phase detect auto focus
61
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
slow fps (6.0 fps)
bad battery pack (500 per charge)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Pentax Q-S1 Travel photography factors
Sony A37 Travel photography factors
60
lighter than competition in class (203g)
flash built-in
low battery life (250 per charge)
low megapixels (12MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
54
resolution is good (16MP)
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (500 per charge)
does not feature selfie friendly display
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Landscape Comparison

Pentax Q-S1 Landscape photography info
Sony A37 Landscape photography info
55
manual focus
swap lenses (Pentax Q mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
delivers RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/1.7")
low battery life (250 CIPA)
64
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
screen is small (2.6 inch)
bad battery pack (500 CIPA)
no Timelapse recording
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax Q-S1 Vlogging highlights
Sony A37 Vlogging highlights
35
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition in class (203 grams)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing external mic port
35
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does have microphone port
does not feature selfie friendly display
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Pentax Q-S1 vs Sony A37 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax Q-S1 and Sony A37
 Pentax Q-S1Sony SLT-A37
General Information
Manufacturer Pentax Sony
Model Pentax Q-S1 Sony SLT-A37
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2014-08-04 2012-05-16
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Q Engine -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" APS-C
Sensor measurements 7.44 x 5.58mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 41.5mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4000 x 3000 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 12800 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount Pentax Q Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 8 143
Crop factor 4.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3" 2.6"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 5.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.90 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, slow sync, trailing curtain sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30,25, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30, 25, 24p), 640 x 480 (30, 25, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 203 gr (0.45 lb) 506 gr (1.12 lb)
Dimensions 105 x 58 x 34mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 75
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.3
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.9
DXO Low light score not tested 799
Other
Battery life 250 images 500 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI68 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail price $250 $522