Pentax Q vs Sony RX100 IV

Let's take a more detailed look at the Pentax Q vs Sony RX100 IV, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Pentax and Sony. There exists a large gap among the resolutions of the Q (12MP) and RX100 IV (20MP) and the Q (1/2.3") and RX100 IV (1") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The Q was unveiled 5 years earlier than the RX100 IV which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Pentax Q being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 IV being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short overview of how the Q matches up against the RX100 IV for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Pentax Q & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV. The full galleries are available at Pentax Q Gallery & Sony RX100 IV Gallery.

For those who are planning to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Pentax Q features outside dimensions of 98mm x 57mm x 31mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2") along with a weight of 180 grams (0.40 lbs) while the Sony RX100 IV has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax Q vs Sony RX100 IV in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the Q compared to the RX100 IV.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the Q and RX100 IV is 93 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, it's hard to see the gap in sensor sizes only by looking through a spec sheet. The pic below may give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the Q and RX100 IV.

As you can see, both of those cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The Q with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony RX100 IV will result in extra detail having an extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots more aggressively. The more aged Q will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.