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Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A7S

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
43
Overall
41
Pentax WG-3 GPS front
 
Sony Alpha A7S front
Portability
77
Imaging
60
Features
73
Overall
65

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A7S Key Specs

Pentax WG-3 GPS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 238g - 125 x 64 x 33mm
  • Introduced July 2013
Sony A7S
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 489g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Released April 2014
  • Refreshed by Sony A7S II
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Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A7S Overview

Following is a complete review of the Pentax WG-3 GPS and Sony A7S, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Pentax and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the WG-3 GPS (16MP) and A7S (12MP) and the WG-3 GPS (1/2.3") and A7S (Full frame) provide different sensor dimensions.

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The WG-3 GPS was brought out 8 months before the A7S which means that they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Pentax WG-3 GPS being a Compact camera and the Sony A7S being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple view of how the WG-3 GPS scores against the A7S in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 GPS over the Sony A7S

 WG-3 GPS A7S 

Reasons to pick Sony A7S over the Pentax WG-3 GPS

 A7S WG-3 GPS 
ReleasedApril 2014July 2013More modern by 8 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1230k460kClearer screen (+770k dot)

Common features in the Pentax WG-3 GPS and Sony A7S

 WG-3 GPS A7S 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen sizing
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen Neither provides Touch screen

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A7S Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor its weight and volume. The Pentax WG-3 GPS provides outer dimensions of 125mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 238 grams (0.52 lbs) whilst the Sony A7S has sizing of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") having a weight of 489 grams (1.08 lbs).

Check the Pentax WG-3 GPS and Sony A7S in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at the time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the WG-3 GPS versus the A7S.

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A7S size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the WG-3 GPS and A7S is 90 and 77 respectively.

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A7S top view buttons comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A7S Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes simply by reading technical specs. The image below should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the WG-3 GPS and A7S.

As you have seen, both cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The WG-3 GPS due to its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Pentax WG-3 GPS will offer you more detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The more aged WG-3 GPS is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A7S sensor size comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A7S Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A7S Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Pentax WG-3 GPS
Portrait photography with Sony A7S
41
focusing manually
good resolution (16MP)
has face detect focus
manual exposure not available
external flash not possible
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
68
focusing manually
great sensor size (Full frame)
comes with face detection focus
saves RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS Street photography factors
Sony A7S Street photography factors
59
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
no articulating screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
heavier than competitors in class (238 grams)
76
tilting screen
great sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
lighter than average in class (489g)
good high ISO (409,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS as a Sports photography camera
Sony A7S as a Sports photography camera
45
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16MP)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
no shutter priority mode
sensor is small (1/2.3")
bad battery power (240 per charge)
no phase detect auto focus
52
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
great sensor size (Full frame)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather proofing
max fps very slow (5.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
not so great battery (360 shots)
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Pentax WG-3 GPS
Travel photography with Sony A7S
69
weather proofing
good resolution (16MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
bad battery power (240 shots)
heavier than competitors in class (238 grams)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
58
lighter than average in class (489g)
weather proofing
not so great battery (360 CIPA)
low MP (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS Landscape photography advice
Sony A7S Landscape photography advice
54
focusing manually
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16MP)
weather proofing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
manual exposure not available
sensor is small (1/2.3")
no RAW support
bad battery power (240 shots)
66
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
great sensor size (Full frame)
good high ISO (409,600)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
does not have image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
not so great battery (360 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS Vlogging factors
Sony A7S Vlogging factors
34
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
does not have mic socket
heavier than competitors in class (238 grams)
34
comes with face detection focus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
has external mic jack
lighter than average in class (489g)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
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Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A7S Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax WG-3 GPS and Sony A7S
 Pentax WG-3 GPSSony Alpha A7S
General Information
Company Pentax Sony
Model Pentax WG-3 GPS Sony Alpha A7S
Class Waterproof Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2013-07-19 2014-04-06
Body design Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.9mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 855.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4240 x 2832
Maximum native ISO 6400 409600
Minimum native ISO 125 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 460k dot 1,230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed - 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.40 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft no built-in flash
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) 3840 x 2160, XAVC S 1080 60p(50Mbps), 30p (50Mbps), 24p (50Mbps). 720 120p (50Mbps). AVCHD 60p (28Mbps), 60i (24Mbps/17Mbps), 24p (24Mbps/17Mbps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 238g (0.52 lbs) 489g (1.08 lbs)
Physical dimensions 125 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 87
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.2
DXO Low light score not tested 3702
Other
Battery life 240 photographs 360 photographs
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI92 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch pricing $350 $1,998