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Pentax WG-3 vs Sony a5000

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Pentax WG-3 front
 
Sony Alpha a5000 front
Portability
89
Imaging
62
Features
62
Overall
62

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony a5000 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 a5000
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 269g - 110 x 63 x 36mm
  • Released January 2014
  • Superseded the Sony NEX-3N
  • Renewed by Sony a5100
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Pentax WG-3 vs Sony a5000 Overview

Let's take a more detailed look at the Pentax WG-3 and Sony a5000, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Pentax and Sony. The image resolution of the WG-3 (16MP) and the a5000 (20MP) is fairly similar but the WG-3 (1/2.3") and a5000 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizing.

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The WG-3 was introduced 5 months before the a5000 and they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras have different body design with the Pentax WG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony a5000 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving into a thorough comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the WG-3 matches up against the a5000 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 over the Sony a5000

 WG-3 a5000 

Reasons to pick Sony a5000 over the Pentax WG-3

 a5000 WG-3 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution461k460kSharper display (+1k dot)

Common features in the Pentax WG-3 and Sony a5000

 WG-3 a5000 
ReleasedJuly 2013January 2014Similar age
Manually focus Very precise focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurement
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony a5000 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry your camera, you will have to factor its weight and proportions. The Pentax WG-3 has got exterior dimensions of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Sony a5000 has measurements of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") having a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

Analyze the Pentax WG-3 and Sony a5000 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the WG-3 vs the a5000.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony a5000 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the WG-3 and a5000 is 90 and 89 respectively.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony a5000 top view buttons comparison

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony a5000 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its tough to picture the contrast between sensor sizing simply by reading specs. The graphic underneath will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the WG-3 and a5000.

As you can plainly see, the two cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The WG-3 having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony a5000 will offer greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics more aggressively.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony a5000 sensor size comparison

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony a5000 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony a5000 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax WG-3 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony a5000 as a Portrait photography camera
41
focusing manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
features face detect focusing
no manual control
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
70
focusing manually
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection focusing
saves RAW files
external flash not possible
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Street photography factors
Sony a5000 Street photography factors
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather sealing
screen is fixed
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
78
screen tilts up and down
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Sports photography info
Sony a5000 Sports photography info
45
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16MP)
features tracking focus
weather sealing
no shutter priority
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
low battery pack (240 shots)
lacks phase detect AF
59
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking autofocus
better than average battery (420 per charge)
slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Travel photography highlights
Sony a5000 Travel photography highlights
72
weather sealing
good resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
low battery pack (240 shots)
does not offer selfie friendly display
78
better than average battery (420 shots)
MP count decent (20MP)
built-in flash
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Pentax WG-3
Landscape photography with Sony a5000
54
focusing manually
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
weather sealing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
no manual control
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
low battery pack (240 CIPA)
77
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
better than average battery (420 shots)
lack of image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Vlogging advice
Sony a5000 Vlogging advice
36
relatively wide (25mm)
fast max aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
features face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not offer selfie friendly display
does not have microphone socket
32
features face detection focusing
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
does not have external microphone port
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Pentax WG-3 vs Sony a5000 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax WG-3 and Sony a5000
 Pentax WG-3Sony Alpha a5000
General Information
Company Pentax Sony
Model Pentax WG-3 Sony Alpha a5000
Category Waterproof Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2013-07-19 2014-01-07
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.2 x 15.4mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 357.3mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 5456 x 3632
Maximum native ISO 6400 16000
Minimum native ISO 125 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Max aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1.6
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dot 461 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating TFT LCD with 180 upward tilt
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 4.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.40 m 4.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear Sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160s
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) 1920 x 1080 (60i/24p), 1440 x 1080 (25 fps), 640 x 480 (25 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 230g (0.51 pounds) 269g (0.59 pounds)
Physical dimensions 124 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") 110 x 63 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 79
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.0
DXO Low light score not tested 1089
Other
Battery life 240 shots 420 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI92 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $300 $448