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Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony a3500

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
43
Overall
41
Pentax WG-3 GPS front
 
Sony Alpha a3500 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony a3500 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 a3500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Released March 2014
  • Succeeded the Sony A3000
Photography Glossary

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony a3500 Overview

Below is a comprehensive assessment of the Pentax WG-3 GPS and Sony a3500, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Pentax and Sony. The image resolution of the WG-3 GPS (16MP) and the a3500 (20MP) is fairly close but the WG-3 GPS (1/2.3") and a3500 (APS-C) offer different sensor sizes.

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The WG-3 GPS was revealed 8 months prior to the a3500 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both cameras feature different body design with the Pentax WG-3 GPS being a Compact camera and the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a detailed comparison, here is a short summation of how the WG-3 GPS grades versus the a3500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 GPS over the Sony a3500

 WG-3 GPS a3500 
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Pentax WG-3 GPS

 a3500 WG-3 GPS 
ReleasedMarch 2014July 2013More recent by 8 months

Common features in the Pentax WG-3 GPS and Sony a3500

 WG-3 GPS a3500 
Manually focus More precise focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display dimensions
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch display Neither has Touch display

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony a3500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to take into account its weight and size. The Pentax WG-3 GPS has exterior 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) and the Sony a3500 has specifications of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

See the Pentax WG-3 GPS and Sony a3500 in our brand new 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 choose at the time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the WG-3 GPS versus the a3500.

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony a3500 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the WG-3 GPS and a3500 is 90 and 69 respectively.

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony a3500 top view buttons comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony a3500 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it can be hard to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements only by looking through technical specs. The graphic here should give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the WG-3 GPS and a3500.

As you can tell, both of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The WG-3 GPS with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony a3500 will provide you with greater detail because of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The older WG-3 GPS will be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony a3500 sensor size comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony a3500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Pentax WG-3 GPS
Portrait photography with Sony a3500
41
focusing manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
includes face detect focus
no manual control
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
77
manual focus
MP count decent (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS Street photography information
Sony a3500 Street photography information
59
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proofing
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
heavier than competition (238 grams)
57
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
screen is fixed
no image stabilization
more heavy than others (411 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS Sports photography factors
Sony a3500 Sports photography factors
45
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
not so great battery pack (240 per charge)
has no phase detect auto focus
60
MP count decent (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports tracking autofocus
better than average battery pack (470 per charge)
low fps (4.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
lacks phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS Travel photography information
Sony a3500 Travel photography information
69
weather proofing
good resolution (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
not so great battery pack (240 per charge)
heavier than competition (238 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
60
better than average battery pack (470 CIPA)
MP count decent (20MP)
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse function
more heavy than others (411 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS as a Landscape photography camera
Sony a3500 as a Landscape photography camera
54
focusing manually
fairly wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
weather proofing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
no manual control
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
not so great battery pack (240 shots)
70
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
better than average battery pack (470 CIPA)
no image stabilization
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax WG-3 GPS Vlogging factors
Sony a3500 Vlogging factors
34
fairly wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of mic socket
heavier than competition (238 grams)
26
supports face detection focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
does not have external microphone jack
more heavy than others (411 grams)
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Pentax WG-3 GPS vs Sony a3500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax WG-3 GPS and Sony a3500
 Pentax WG-3 GPSSony Alpha a3500
General Information
Brand Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax WG-3 GPS Sony Alpha a3500
Category Waterproof Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2013-07-19 2014-03-21
Body design Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - BIONZ image
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 5456 x 3632
Max native ISO 6400 16000
Lowest native ISO 125 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.47x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed - 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 3.40 m 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync.
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) 1920 x 1080
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD, H.264
Microphone input
Headphone input
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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 238g (0.52 lb) 411g (0.91 lb)
Physical dimensions 125 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 240 photos 470 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI92 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal -
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $350 $398