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Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A7 III

Portability
66
Imaging
40
Features
37
Overall
38
Pentax XG-1 front
 
Sony Alpha A7 III front
Portability
63
Imaging
73
Features
92
Overall
80

Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A7 III Key Specs

Pentax XG-1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-1248mm (F2.8-5.6) lens
  • 567g - 119 x 89 x 98mm
  • Launched July 2014
Sony A7 III
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Increase to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 650g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Released February 2018
  • Earlier Model is Sony A7 II
  • Replacement is Sony A7 IV
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Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A7 III Overview

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Pentax XG-1 and Sony A7 III, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Pentax and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the XG-1 (16MP) and A7 III (24MP) and the XG-1 (1/2.3") and A7 III (Full frame) have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The XG-1 was launched 4 years before the A7 III and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Pentax XG-1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A7 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving straight to a full comparison, here is a short highlight of how the XG-1 matches up against the A7 III with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Pentax XG-1 over the Sony A7 III

 XG-1 A7 III 

Reasons to pick Sony A7 III over the Pentax XG-1

 A7 III XG-1 
ReleasedFebruary 2018July 2014More recent by 44 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k460kSharper display (+462k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Pentax XG-1 and Sony A7 III

 XG-1 A7 III 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A7 III Physical Comparison

When you are planning to lug around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and volume. The Pentax XG-1 offers physical dimensions of 119mm x 89mm x 98mm (4.7" x 3.5" x 3.9") along with a weight of 567 grams (1.25 lbs) while the Sony A7 III has sizing of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") and a weight of 650 grams (1.43 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax XG-1 and Sony A7 III in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are using during that time. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the XG-1 and the A7 III.

Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A7 III size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the XG-1 and A7 III is 66 and 63 respectively.

Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A7 III top view buttons comparison

Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A7 III Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to envision the gap between sensor measurements only by going over specifications. The visual below might provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the XG-1 and A7 III.

To sum up, both the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The XG-1 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A7 III will offer greater detail utilizing its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The older XG-1 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A7 III sensor size comparison

Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A7 III Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A7 III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Pentax XG-1
Portrait photography with Sony A7 III
40
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
83
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
has face detect focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Pentax XG-1 as a Street photography camera
Sony A7 III as a Street photography camera
43
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
more heavy than others (567g)
78
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
exports RAW files
supports focus via touch
weather proofing
great high ISO (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Pentax XG-1 Sports photography highlights
Sony A7 III Sports photography highlights
45
amazing zoom range (24-1248mm 52.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery power (240 CIPA)
lack of phase detect AF
86
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
has tracking focus
weather proofing
better than average battery power (610 shots)
supports phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Pentax XG-1 Travel photography info
Sony A7 III Travel photography info
52
resolution is good (16MP)
built-in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
great zoom (1248mm)
no Timelapse recording
bad battery power (240 per charge)
more heavy than others (567g)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
73
better than average battery power (610 per charge)
weather proofing
has bluetooth
supports focus via touch
megapixel count decent (24MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Pentax XG-1 Landscape photography factors
Sony A7 III Landscape photography factors
45
has manual focus
fairly wide (24mm)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
resolution is good (16MP)
cannot switch lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
bad battery power (240 CIPA)
no Timelapse recording
85
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (24MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
great high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
better than average battery power (610 per charge)
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Pentax XG-1
Vlogging with Sony A7 III
25
fairly wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
no microphone socket
more heavy than others (567g)
36
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detect focus
video res high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
comes with microphone support
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A7 III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax XG-1 and Sony A7 III
 Pentax XG-1Sony Alpha A7 III
General Information
Brand Pentax Sony
Model Pentax XG-1 Sony Alpha A7 III
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2014-07-15 2018-02-27
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 852.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 3200 51200
Highest boosted ISO - 204800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Minimum boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
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 - 693
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 24-1248mm (52.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.8-5.6 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460k dots 922k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 200k dots 2,359k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 9.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 6.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Force Off, Flash Auto, Force Flash, Slow Sync., Slow Sync. + Red-Eye, Red-Eye Reduction no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
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), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (120 fps) 3840 x 2160 (30p, 24p) 1920 x 1080 (120p, 60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 567 gr (1.25 lbs) 650 gr (1.43 lbs)
Physical dimensions 119 x 89 x 98mm (4.7" x 3.5" x 3.9") 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 96
DXO Color Depth score not tested 25.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.7
DXO Low light score not tested 3730
Other
Battery life 240 photos 610 photos
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model LB-060 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One 2
Pricing at launch $599 $1,998