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Pentax WG-3 vs Sony TX1

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Pentax WG-3 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1 front
Portability
96
Imaging
33
Features
21
Overall
28

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony TX1 Key Specs

Pentax WG-3
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • 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
Sony TX1
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 35-140mm (F3.5-4.6) lens
  • 142g - 94 x 58 x 17mm
  • Launched August 2009
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Pentax WG-3 vs Sony TX1 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Pentax WG-3 and Sony TX1, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Ultracompact by brands Pentax and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the WG-3 (16MP) and TX1 (10MP) and the WG-3 (1/2.3") and TX1 (1/2.4") provide different sensor sizing.

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The WG-3 was manufactured 4 years later than the TX1 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Pentax WG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony TX1 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a short view of how the WG-3 scores vs the TX1 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 over the Sony TX1

 WG-3 TX1 
LaunchedJuly 2013August 2009More recent by 49 months
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Display resolution460k230kCrisper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony TX1 over the Pentax WG-3

 TX1 WG-3 
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Pentax WG-3 and Sony TX1

 WG-3 TX1 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony TX1 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to factor in its weight and size. The Pentax WG-3 has got 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 TX1 has specifications of 94mm x 58mm x 17mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.7") along with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Analyze the Pentax WG-3 and Sony TX1 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the WG-3 compared to the TX1.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony TX1 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the WG-3 and TX1 is 90 and 96 respectively.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony TX1 top view buttons comparison

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony TX1 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very tough to imagine the difference between sensor measurements simply by reading through technical specs. The graphic underneath might provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the WG-3 and TX1.

As you can tell, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The WG-3 because of its larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Pentax WG-3 will resolve extra detail due to its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The younger WG-3 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony TX1 sensor size comparison

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony TX1 Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax WG-3 vs Sony TX1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Pentax WG-3
Portrait photography with Sony TX1
41
focusing manually
decent MP (16 megapixels)
supports face detection focusing
lack of manual mode
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
19
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.4")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Street photography information
Sony TX1 Street photography information
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.4")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Sports photography factors
Sony TX1 Sports photography factors
45
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
no shutter priority mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (240 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect AF
24
has image stabilization (Optical)
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,250 seconds)
no shutter priority mode
low megapixels (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.4")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Travel photography features
Sony TX1 Travel photography features
72
weather proof
decent MP (16MP)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
terrible battery life (240 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
51
flash built-in
does not have Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (10MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Landscape photography advice
Sony TX1 Landscape photography advice
54
focusing manually
reasonably wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
screen size is good (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
weather proof
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
lack of manual mode
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
terrible battery life (240 shots)
31
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not possible
low megapixels (10MP)
small sensor size (1/2.4")
lack of RAW support
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Pentax WG-3 Vlogging highlights
Sony TX1 Vlogging highlights
36
reasonably wide (25mm)
very good max aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports face detection focusing
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic port
28
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (35mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external mic port
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Pentax WG-3 vs Sony TX1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax WG-3 and Sony TX1
 Pentax WG-3Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1
General Information
Brand Name Pentax Sony
Model type Pentax WG-3 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1
Type Waterproof Ultracompact
Introduced 2013-07-19 2009-08-06
Body design Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.4"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.104 x 4.578mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 27.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 125 125
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) 35-140mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/3.5-4.6
Macro focusing distance 1cm 8cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 seconds 2 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1250 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 10.0fps -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.40 m 3.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
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 pounds) 142 gr (0.31 pounds)
Physical dimensions 124 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") 94 x 58 x 17mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around 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 pictures -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery ID D-LI92 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots One One
Retail price $300 $350