Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A500
90 Imaging
40 Features
43 Overall
41


63 Imaging
51 Features
52 Overall
51
Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A500 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 125 - 6400
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
- 238g - 125 x 64 x 33mm
- Announced July 2013
(Full Review)
- 12MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Released August 2009
- Replacement is Sony A560

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A500 Overview
Let's look closer at the Pentax WG-3 GPS versus Sony A500, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Pentax and Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the WG-3 GPS (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the WG-3 GPS (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor sizing.

The WG-3 GPS was manufactured 3 years after the A500 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Pentax WG-3 GPS being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the WG-3 GPS grades vs the A500 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A500 Gallery
This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Pentax WG-3 GPS & Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The entire galleries are available at Pentax WG-3 GPS Gallery & Sony A500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 GPS over the Sony A500
WG-3 GPS | A500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Released | July 2013 | ![]() | August 2009 | Newer by 48 months |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Clearer display (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Pentax WG-3 GPS
A500 | WG-3 GPS | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Common features in the Pentax WG-3 GPS and Sony A500
WG-3 GPS | A500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | More precise focusing | ||
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Equivalent display measurement |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lacking selfie screen | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Neither contains Touch friendly display |
Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison
In case you're planning to travel with your camera regularly, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Pentax WG-3 GPS has got physical measurements of 125mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 238 grams (0.52 lbs) whilst the Sony A500 has proportions of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).
See the Pentax WG-3 GPS versus Sony A500 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at the time. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the WG-3 GPS vs the A500.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the WG-3 GPS and A500 is 90 and 63 respectively.

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison
Quite often, it is very tough to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions simply by reading through a spec sheet. The pic here should give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the WG-3 GPS and A500.
As you can see, both of these cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The WG-3 GPS featuring a tinier sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Pentax WG-3 GPS will give you more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics far more aggressively. The younger WG-3 GPS will have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony A500 Specifications
Pentax WG-3 GPS | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Pentax | Sony |
Model | Pentax WG-3 GPS | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 |
Class | Waterproof | Entry-Level DSLR |
Announced | 2013-07-19 | 2009-08-27 |
Physical type | Compact | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | - | Bionz |
Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor area | 28.1mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4272 x 2848 |
Highest native ISO | 6400 | 12800 |
Minimum native ISO | 125 | 200 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
Touch focus | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | 9 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mounting type | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Lens focal range | 25-100mm (4.0x) | - |
Maximal aperture | f/2.0-4.9 | - |
Macro focus range | 1cm | - |
Available lenses | - | 143 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Display size | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 460 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Display technology | Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 95% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.53x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 4s | 30s |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shutter rate | - | 5.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 3.40 m | 12.00 m |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | - | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) | - |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | None |
Video file format | MPEG-4, H.264 | - |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | BuiltIn | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 238g (0.52 pounds) | 630g (1.39 pounds) |
Dimensions | 125 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall score | not tested | 64 |
DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 21.8 |
DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 11.6 |
DXO Low light score | not tested | 772 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 240 pictures | 520 pictures |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | D-LI92 | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Pricing at release | $350 | $638 |