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Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A7S II

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Pentax WG-3 front
 
Sony Alpha A7S II front
Portability
68
Imaging
61
Features
76
Overall
67

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A7S II Key Specs

Pentax WG-3
(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
  • 230g - 124 x 64 x 33mm
  • Launched July 2013
Sony A7S II
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 102400 (Bump to 409600)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 627g - 127 x 96 x 60mm
  • Released October 2015
  • Superseded the Sony A7S
  • Successor is Sony A7S III
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Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A7S II Overview

Following is a detailed analysis of the Pentax WG-3 versus Sony A7S II, one is a Waterproof and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Pentax and Sony. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the WG-3 (16MP) and A7S II (12MP) and the WG-3 (1/2.3") and A7S II (Full frame) provide different sensor sizes.

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The WG-3 was released 3 years prior to the A7S II which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Pentax WG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A7S II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the WG-3 scores against the A7S II in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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

 WG-3 A7S II 

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

 A7S II WG-3 
ReleasedOctober 2015July 2013More modern by 27 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1229k460kSharper display (+769k dot)

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

 WG-3 A7S II 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display dimensions
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A7S II Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you should consider its weight and measurements. The Pentax WG-3 features exterior measurements of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Sony A7S II has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 60mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.4") with a weight of 627 grams (1.38 lbs).

Check out the Pentax WG-3 versus Sony A7S II in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the WG-3 against the A7S II.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A7S II size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the WG-3 and A7S II is 90 and 68 respectively.

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

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A7S II Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's hard to imagine the gap in sensor sizes merely by looking through a spec sheet. The image underneath may give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the WG-3 and A7S II.

Clearly, each of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The WG-3 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh tougher and the Pentax WG-3 will provide you with more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics more aggressively. The more aged WG-3 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A7S II sensor size comparison

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A7S II Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Portrait photography advice
Sony A7S II Portrait photography advice
41
has manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
offers face detect focus
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
68
focusing manually
big sensor size (Full frame)
has face detect focus
saves RAW formats
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Street photography factors
Sony A7S II Street photography factors
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
78
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
above average high ISO (102,400)
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Sports Comparison

Pentax WG-3 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A7S II as a Sports photography camera
45
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16MP)
offers tracking focus
environment sealing
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
terrible battery (240 CIPA)
does not have phase detect auto focus
58
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking focus
environment proof
max frames per second low (5.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
terrible battery (370 CIPA)
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Pentax WG-3
Travel photography with Sony A7S II
72
environment sealing
good MP (16MP)
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
terrible battery (240 CIPA)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
49
environment proof
terrible battery (370 CIPA)
sensor resolution low (12MP)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Pentax WG-3
Landscape photography with Sony A7S II
54
has manual focus
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16 megapixels)
environment sealing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
manual exposure not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
terrible battery (240 per charge)
71
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
above average high ISO (102,400)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (370 shots)
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Vlogging details
Sony A7S II Vlogging details
36
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
offers face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
lack of microphone socket
35
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focus
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
includes microphone socket
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
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Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A7S II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax WG-3 and Sony A7S II
 Pentax WG-3Sony Alpha A7S II
General Information
Make Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax WG-3 Sony Alpha A7S II
Category Waterproof Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2013-07-19 2015-10-12
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias 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 102400
Maximum boosted ISO - 409600
Lowest native ISO 125 100
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 9 169
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Total lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460k dots 1,229k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames per sec 5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.40 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) 4K (3840 x 2160 @ 30p/24p [60-100Mbps]), Full HD (1920 x 1080 @ 120p/60p/60i/30p/24p [50-100Mbps]), 720p (30p [16Mbps])
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 230 gr (0.51 lbs) 627 gr (1.38 lbs)
Physical dimensions 124 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") 127 x 96 x 60mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 85
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.3
DXO Low light rating not tested 2993
Other
Battery life 240 shots 370 shots
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID 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
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $300 $2,767