Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A500
90 Imaging
40 Features
44 Overall
41
63 Imaging
52 Features
52 Overall
52
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A500 Key Specs
(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
- Introduced 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
- Launched August 2009
- Replacement is Sony A560
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A500 Overview
Its time to look more closely at the Pentax WG-3 versus Sony A500, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Pentax and Sony. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the WG-3 (16MP) and A500 (12MP) and the WG-3 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor measurements.
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music videoThe WG-3 was manufactured 3 years later than the A500 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Pentax WG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a short introduction of how the WG-3 grades vs the A500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A500 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax WG-3 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A500. The entire galleries are provided at Pentax WG-3 Gallery and Sony A500 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 over the Sony A500
WG-3 | A500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | July 2013 | August 2009 | More recent by 48 months | |
Display resolution | 460k | 230k | Crisper display (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Pentax WG-3
A500 | WG-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display |
Common features in the Pentax WG-3 and Sony A500
WG-3 | A500 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | Dial exact focusing | |||
Display size | 3" | 3" | Same display measurements | |
Selfie screen | Missing selfie screen | |||
Touch friendly display | Missing Touch friendly display |
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison
When you are planning to lug around your camera, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Pentax WG-3 features outer dimensions of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Sony A500 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).
Look at the Pentax WG-3 versus Sony A500 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are employing at that moment. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the WG-3 against the A500.
Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the WG-3 and A500 is 90 and 63 respectively.
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison
Generally, its tough to see the contrast between sensor measurements only by looking at a spec sheet. The visual below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the WG-3 and A500.
Clearly, the 2 cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The WG-3 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Pentax WG-3 will give greater detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The fresher WG-3 will have a benefit in sensor technology.
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A500 Specifications
Pentax WG-3 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Make | Pentax | Sony |
Model type | Pentax WG-3 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 |
Type | Waterproof | Entry-Level DSLR |
Introduced | 2013-07-19 | 2009-08-27 |
Body design | Compact | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | - | Bionz |
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 surface area | 28.1mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16MP | 12MP |
Anti alias 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 |
Lowest native ISO | 125 | 200 |
RAW pictures | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
AF selectice | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
Multi area AF | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Total focus points | 9 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Lens zoom range | 25-100mm (4.0x) | - |
Maximal aperture | f/2.0-4.9 | - |
Macro focusing distance | 1cm | - |
Number of lenses | - | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of screen | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Screen sizing | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of screen | 460 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Screen tech | Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | None | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 95% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.53x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 4 secs | 30 secs |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shutter speed | 10.0 frames/s | 5.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Built-in flash | ||
Flash distance | 3.40 m | 12.00 m |
Flash options | 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 sync | - | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment exposure | ||
Average exposure | ||
Spot exposure | ||
Partial exposure | ||
AF area exposure | ||
Center weighted exposure | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) | - |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | None |
Video format | MPEG-4, 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 | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 230 gr (0.51 lb) | 630 gr (1.39 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 124 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 rating | not tested | 64 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 21.8 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 11.6 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 772 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 240 images | 520 images |
Battery format | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | D-LI92 | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch cost | $300 | $638 |