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Pentax Q10 vs Sony RX100

Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
56
Overall
44
Pentax Q10 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57

Pentax Q10 vs Sony RX100 Key Specs

Pentax Q10
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Pentax Q Mount
  • 200g - 102 x 58 x 34mm
  • Revealed September 2012
  • Superseded the Pentax Q
  • Successor is Pentax Q7
Sony RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Revealed August 2012
  • Updated by Sony RX100 II
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Pentax Q10 vs Sony RX100 Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Pentax Q10 and Sony RX100, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Pentax and Sony. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the Q10 (12MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the Q10 (1/2.3") and RX100 (1") use totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The Q10 was unveiled around the same time to the RX100 and they are both of a similar generation. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Pentax Q10 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a full comparison, below is a concise summation of how the Q10 grades against the RX100 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Pentax Q10 over the Sony RX100

 Q10 RX100 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Pentax Q10

 RX100 Q10 
Display resolution1229k460kClearer display (+769k dot)

Common features in the Pentax Q10 and Sony RX100

 Q10 RX100 
RevealedSeptember 2012August 2012Same generation
Manually focus Very exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch display Neither comes with Touch display

Pentax Q10 vs Sony RX100 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry your camera, you should factor its weight and dimensions. The Pentax Q10 comes with physical measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3") having a weight of 200 grams (0.44 lbs) and the Sony RX100 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") having a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Look at the Pentax Q10 and Sony RX100 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you use at that moment. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the Q10 and the RX100.

Pentax Q10 vs Sony RX100 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the Q10 and RX100 is 92 and 91 respectively.

Pentax Q10 vs Sony RX100 top view buttons comparison

Pentax Q10 vs Sony RX100 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be tough to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing merely by seeing technical specs. The graphic here will offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the Q10 and RX100.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The Q10 having a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony RX100 will show greater detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively.

Pentax Q10 vs Sony RX100 sensor size comparison

Pentax Q10 vs Sony RX100 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax Q10 vs Sony RX100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax Q10 Portrait photography advice
Sony RX100 Portrait photography advice
48
has manual focus
high flash sync (1/2,000 seconds)
offers face detection focus
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
64
you can focus manually
above average flash sync (1/2,000s)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
provides face detect focus
saves RAW formats
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Pentax Q10 Street photography details
Sony RX100 Street photography details
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
exports RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (200g)
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
79
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
saves RAW formats
lighter than competition in class (240 grams)
very good high ISO (25,600)
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Pentax Q10 Sports photography features
Sony RX100 Sports photography features
36
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers tracking autofocus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (270 shots)
does not have phase detect auto focus
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
provides tracking focus
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Pentax Q10 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX100 as a Travel photography camera
60
lighter than competitors in class (200 grams)
has built in flash
not so great battery power (270 per charge)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
79
lighter than competition in class (240g)
good megapixels (20MP)
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
display is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax Q10 Landscape photography factors
Sony RX100 Landscape photography factors
54
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Pentax Q mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery power (270 CIPA)
74
you can focus manually
fairly wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
very good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Pentax Q10
Vlogging with Sony RX100
35
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competitors in class (200g)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have external mic jack
38
fairly wide (28mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition in class (240 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have microphone port
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Pentax Q10 vs Sony RX100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax Q10 and Sony RX100
 Pentax Q10Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
General Information
Brand Name Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax Q10 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2012-09-10 2012-08-28
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 6400 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 25 25
Lens
Lens support Pentax Q fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Highest aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 8 -
Crop factor 5.8 2.7
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 460k dot 1,229k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display tech TFT Color LCD WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 7.00 m -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Trailing-curtain sync Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/2000s 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720p (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 200 grams (0.44 lb) 240 grams (0.53 lb)
Dimensions 102 x 58 x 34mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.3") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 49 66
DXO Color Depth rating 21.1 22.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.9 12.4
DXO Low light rating 183 390
Other
Battery life 270 pictures 330 pictures
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI68 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail price $350 $448