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Pentax WG-3 vs Sony RX100 VII

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Pentax WG-3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII front
Portability
88
Imaging
54
Features
78
Overall
63

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony RX100 VII 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
  • Announced July 2013
Sony RX100 VII
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-200mm (F2.8-4.5) lens
  • 302g - 102 x 58 x 43mm
  • Released July 2019
  • Older Model is Sony RX100 VI
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Pentax WG-3 vs Sony RX100 VII Overview

Let's take a closer look at the Pentax WG-3 and Sony RX100 VII, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Pentax and Sony. The resolution of the WG-3 (16MP) and the RX100 VII (20MP) is very close but the WG-3 (1/2.3") and RX100 VII (1") have totally different sensor size.

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The WG-3 was released 7 years prior to the RX100 VII and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Pentax WG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 VII being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting right into a complete comparison, here is a quick view of how the WG-3 matches up versus the RX100 VII with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 over the Sony RX100 VII

 WG-3 RX100 VII 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 VII over the Pentax WG-3

 RX100 VII WG-3 
ReleasedJuly 2019July 2013Fresher by 73 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution921k460kClearer display (+461k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Pentax WG-3 and Sony RX100 VII

 WG-3 RX100 VII 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Display size3"3"Same display size

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony RX100 VII Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry your camera often, you need to think about its weight and volume. The Pentax WG-3 provides external dimensions of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) while the Sony RX100 VII has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 302 grams (0.67 lbs).

Contrast the Pentax WG-3 and Sony RX100 VII in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you use during that time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the WG-3 versus the RX100 VII.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony RX100 VII size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the WG-3 and RX100 VII is 90 and 88 respectively.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony RX100 VII top view buttons comparison

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony RX100 VII Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is difficult to envision the difference in sensor sizing merely by looking through technical specs. The photograph underneath will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the WG-3 and RX100 VII.

As you can tell, both cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The WG-3 because of its smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony RX100 VII will result in extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The older WG-3 will be behind in sensor technology.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony RX100 VII sensor size comparison

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony RX100 VII Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony RX100 VII Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Pentax WG-3
Portrait photography with Sony RX100 VII
41
manual focus
good MP (16 megapixels)
supports face detection focusing
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
66
focusing manually
above average flash sync speed (1/2,000 seconds)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
provides face detect focus
supports RAW files
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Street photography features
Sony RX100 VII Street photography features
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proofing
fixed screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
85
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
supports RAW files
has touch focus
lighter than average in class (302 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Pentax WG-3
Sports photography with Sony RX100 VII
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
environment proofing
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
bad battery (240 CIPA)
lacks phase detect AF
70
silent shooting (1/32,000s)
max fps high (20.0 fps)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
provides tracking focus
has phase detect auto focus
low battery pack (260 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Travel photography features
Sony RX100 VII Travel photography features
72
environment proofing
good MP (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
bad battery (240 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
77
lighter than average in class (302 grams)
connects via bluetooth
has touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
rather wide (24mm)
low battery pack (260 per charge)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax WG-3 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 VII as a Landscape photography camera
54
manual focus
fairly wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good MP (16MP)
environment proofing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
manual mode not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
bad battery (240 per charge)
65
focusing manually
rather wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
supports RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
low battery pack (260 per charge)
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Pentax WG-3
Vlogging with Sony RX100 VII
36
fairly wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing external mic port
81
rather wide (24mm)
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
has microphone socket
lighter than average in class (302 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Pentax WG-3 vs Sony RX100 VII Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax WG-3 and Sony RX100 VII
 Pentax WG-3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
General Information
Brand Name Pentax Sony
Model Pentax WG-3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VII
Category Waterproof Large Sensor Compact
Announced 2013-07-19 2019-07-25
Physical type Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Minimum native ISO 125 125
RAW format
Minimum enhanced ISO - 64
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) 24-200mm (8.3x)
Max aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/2.8-4.5
Macro focus range 1cm 8cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 2.7
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 921 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,360 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Min shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Max silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 10.0 frames per second 20.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.40 m 5.90 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft -
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/2000 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file 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) NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery & USB charger
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 230 gr (0.51 lbs) 302 gr (0.67 lbs)
Physical dimensions 124 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") 102 x 58 x 43mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 63
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.4
DXO Low light score not tested 418
Other
Battery life 240 pictures 260 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI92 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo
Card slots Single Single
Price at release $300 $1,298