Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A55
90 Imaging
40 Features
44 Overall
41
67 Imaging
56 Features
80 Overall
65
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A55 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
- Announced July 2013
(Full Review)
- 16MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 100 - 12800 (Push to 25600)
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
- Launched August 2010
- Renewed by Sony A57
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A55 Overview
In this article, we will be contrasting the Pentax WG-3 and Sony A55, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Pentax and Sony. The image resolution of the WG-3 (16MP) and the A55 (16MP) is pretty close but the WG-3 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor sizes.
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or banThe WG-3 was launched 2 years after the A55 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Pentax WG-3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a quick summation of how the WG-3 matches up vs the A55 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A55 Gallery
This is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax WG-3 and Sony SLT-A55. The complete galleries are provided at Pentax WG-3 Gallery and Sony A55 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax WG-3 over the Sony A55
WG-3 | A55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | July 2013 | August 2010 | Newer by 36 months |
Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Pentax WG-3
A55 | WG-3 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed | Fully Articulating screen | |
Screen resolution | 921k | 460k | Clearer screen (+461k dot) | |
Selfie screen | Easy selfies |
Common features in the Pentax WG-3 and Sony A55
WG-3 | A55 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | Dial precise focusing | |||
Screen sizing | 3" | 3" | Equivalent screen dimensions | |
Touch friendly screen | Neither contains Touch friendly screen |
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison
If you are going to travel with your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Pentax WG-3 has got outside measurements of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Sony A55 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") along with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).
Check the Pentax WG-3 and Sony A55 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the WG-3 compared to the A55.
Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the WG-3 and A55 is 90 and 67 respectively.
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it is very hard to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by viewing a spec sheet. The image below will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the WG-3 and A55.
As you can see, both of the cameras offer the same exact resolution albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The WG-3 provides the smaller sensor which will make achieving shallow DOF trickier. The newer WG-3 will have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Pentax WG-3 vs Sony A55 Specifications
Pentax WG-3 | Sony SLT-A55 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Pentax | Sony |
Model type | Pentax WG-3 | Sony SLT-A55 |
Category | Waterproof | Entry-Level DSLR |
Announced | 2013-07-19 | 2010-08-24 |
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 | 16 megapixel | 16 megapixel |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Full resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4912 x 3264 |
Max native ISO | 6400 | 12800 |
Max boosted ISO | - | 25600 |
Lowest native ISO | 125 | 100 |
RAW format | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Tracking autofocus | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detection autofocus | ||
Contract detection autofocus | ||
Phase detection autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 9 | 15 |
Cross type focus points | - | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Lens zoom range | 25-100mm (4.0x) | - |
Highest aperture | f/2.0-4.9 | - |
Macro focusing distance | 1cm | - |
Number of lenses | - | 143 |
Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Range of screen | Fixed Type | Fully Articulated |
Screen size | 3" | 3" |
Resolution of screen | 460 thousand dot | 921 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Screen tech | Widescreen TFT color LCD with anti-reflective coating | - |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | None | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,150 thousand dot |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.73x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 4s | 30s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/4000s |
Continuous shooting speed | 10.0fps | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 3.40 m | 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) |
Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Highest 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 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Microphone jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | BuiltIn |
Physical | ||
Environment seal | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 230 grams (0.51 lbs) | 500 grams (1.10 lbs) |
Dimensions | 124 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") | 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | not tested | 73 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 23.0 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 12.4 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 816 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 240 photographs | 380 photographs |
Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | D-LI92 | NP-FW50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Storage media | SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Storage slots | One | One |
Launch pricing | $300 | $800 |