Pentax X-5 vs Sony A3000
65 Imaging
39 Features
50 Overall
43
69 Imaging
61 Features
54 Overall
58
Pentax X-5 vs Sony A3000 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 100 - 6400
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 22-580mm (F3.1-5.9) lens
- 595g - 119 x 86 x 107mm
- Launched August 2012
(Full Review)
- 20MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 16000
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Sony E Mount
- 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
- Announced August 2013
- Replacement is Sony a3500
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On this page, we will be analyzing the Pentax X-5 vs Sony A3000, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Pentax and Sony. The sensor resolution of the X-5 (16MP) and the A3000 (20MP) is pretty well matched but the X-5 (1/2.3") and A3000 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor measurements.
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a LandslideThe X-5 was manufactured 12 months prior to the A3000 so they are both of a similar age. Both cameras have different body design with the Pentax X-5 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A3000 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a concise overview of how the X-5 matches up vs the A3000 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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Here is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax X-5 & Sony Alpha A3000. The entire galleries are available at Pentax X-5 Gallery & Sony A3000 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax X-5 over the Sony A3000
| X-5 | A3000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting screen | |
| Screen resolution | 460k | 230k | Crisper screen (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony A3000 over the Pentax X-5
| A3000 | X-5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announced | August 2013 | August 2012 | More recent by 12 months |
Common features in the Pentax X-5 and Sony A3000
| X-5 | A3000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus manually | More exact focusing | |||
| Screen dimensions | 3" | 3" | Equal screen measurements | |
| Selfie screen | Neither has selfie screen | |||
| Touch screen | Lack of Touch screen |
Pentax X-5 vs Sony A3000 Physical Comparison
If you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Pentax X-5 has exterior dimensions of 119mm x 86mm x 107mm (4.7" x 3.4" x 4.2") with a weight of 595 grams (1.31 lbs) while the Sony A3000 has dimensions of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).
Check out the Pentax X-5 vs Sony A3000 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is a front view overall size comparison of the X-5 vs the A3000.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the X-5 and A3000 is 65 and 69 respectively.
Pentax X-5 vs Sony A3000 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it is very difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements merely by looking at technical specs. The visual underneath might offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the X-5 and A3000.
As you can tell, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The X-5 due to its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony A3000 will give you extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older X-5 is going to be behind in sensor technology.
Pentax X-5 vs Sony A3000 Screen and ViewFinder
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Pentax X-5 vs Sony A3000 Specifications
| Pentax X-5 | Sony Alpha A3000 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Brand Name | Pentax | Sony |
| Model | Pentax X-5 | Sony Alpha A3000 |
| Category | Small Sensor Superzoom | Entry-Level Mirrorless |
| Launched | 2012-08-22 | 2013-08-27 |
| Body design | SLR-like (bridge) | SLR-style mirrorless |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Powered by | - | BIONZ image |
| Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
| Sensor measurements | 6.08 x 4.56mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
| Sensor surface area | 27.7mm² | 366.6mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 20 megapixels |
| Anti aliasing filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Highest Possible resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 5456 x 3632 |
| Maximum native ISO | 6400 | 16000 |
| Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW photos | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detect autofocus | ||
| Contract detect autofocus | ||
| Phase detect autofocus | ||
| Number of focus points | 9 | 25 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount | fixed lens | Sony E |
| Lens focal range | 22-580mm (26.4x) | - |
| Max aperture | f/3.1-5.9 | - |
| Macro focus range | 1cm | - |
| Number of lenses | - | 121 |
| Crop factor | 5.9 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Display diagonal | 3 inch | 3 inch |
| Resolution of display | 460 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch screen | ||
| Display tech | - | TFT LCD |
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | Electronic |
| Viewfinder resolution | 230 thousand dot | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.47x |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 4 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Max shutter speed | 1/1500 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
| Continuous shutter speed | 10.0 frames per second | 3.0 frames per second |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manual exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Set white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash range | 9.10 m | 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100) |
| Flash settings | - | Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Max flash sync | - | 1/160 seconds |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 |
| Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
| Video data format | Motion JPEG | AVCHD, H.264, MP4 |
| Microphone 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 | ||
| Environment seal | ||
| Water proof | ||
| Dust proof | ||
| Shock proof | ||
| Crush proof | ||
| Freeze proof | ||
| Weight | 595 gr (1.31 pounds) | 411 gr (0.91 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 119 x 86 x 107mm (4.7" x 3.4" x 4.2") | 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall score | not tested | 78 |
| DXO Color Depth score | not tested | 23.7 |
| DXO Dynamic range score | not tested | 12.8 |
| DXO Low light score | not tested | 1068 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 330 photos | 470 photos |
| Type of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
| Battery model | 4 x AA | NP-FW50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay) |
| Time lapse recording | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | - |
| Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
| Price at release | $230 | $398 |