Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A100
66 Imaging
40 Features
37 Overall
38
64 Imaging
48 Features
38 Overall
44
Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A100 Key Specs
(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
- Introduced July 2014
(Full Review)
- 10MP - APS-C Sensor
- 2.5" Fixed Screen
- ISO 100 - 1600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 638g - 133 x 95 x 71mm
- Launched July 2006
- Superseded the Konica Minolta 5D
- Replacement is Sony A550
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A100 Overview
Following is a in-depth analysis of the Pentax XG-1 and Sony A100, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Pentax and Sony. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the XG-1 (16MP) and A100 (10MP) and the XG-1 (1/2.3") and A100 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor dimensions.
Photography GlossaryThe XG-1 was revealed 8 years after the A100 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Pentax XG-1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A100 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a short summary of how the XG-1 scores against the A100 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.
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The following is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax XG-1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A100. The full galleries are available at Pentax XG-1 Gallery & Sony A100 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax XG-1 over the Sony A100
| XG-1 | A100 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | July 2014 |  | July 2006 | More modern by 97 months |
| Screen size | 3" |  | 2.5" | Bigger screen (+0.5") |
| Screen resolution | 460k |  | 230k | Sharper screen (+230k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony A100 over the Pentax XG-1
| A100 | XG-1 |
|---|
Common features in the Pentax XG-1 and Sony A100
| XG-1 | A100 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual focus |  | Very exact focus | ||
| Screen type | Fixed |  | Fixed | Fixed screen |
| Selfie screen |  | Neither comes with selfie screen | ||
| Touch friendly screen |  | Absent Touch friendly screen |
Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A100 Physical Comparison
If you are intending to carry around your camera often, you'll need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Pentax XG-1 comes with outer 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) whilst the Sony A100 has dimensions of 133mm x 95mm x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") with a weight of 638 grams (1.41 lbs).
See the Pentax XG-1 and Sony A100 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the XG-1 versus the A100.
Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the XG-1 and A100 is 66 and 64 respectively.
Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A100 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, its hard to visualise the gap between sensor sizes simply by reading a spec sheet. The image underneath may give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the XG-1 and A100.
As you can see, each of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The XG-1 having a tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF harder and the Pentax XG-1 will deliver more detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The newer XG-1 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.
Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A100 Screen and ViewFinder
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Pentax XG-1 vs Sony A100 Specifications
| Pentax XG-1 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Pentax | Sony |
| Model type | Pentax XG-1 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 |
| Type | Small Sensor Superzoom | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Introduced | 2014-07-15 | 2006-07-31 |
| Physical type | SLR-like (bridge) | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Sensor type | BSI-CMOS | CCD |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
| Sensor dimensions | 6.17 x 4.55mm | 23.6 x 15.8mm |
| Sensor surface area | 28.1mm² | 372.9mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 16 megapixels | 10 megapixels |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 |
| Peak resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 3872 x 2592 |
| Highest native ISO | 3200 | 1600 |
| Minimum native ISO | 100 | 100 |
| RAW support | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Manual focusing | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Continuous AF | ||
| AF single | ||
| Tracking AF | ||
| AF selectice | ||
| AF center weighted | ||
| AF multi area | ||
| Live view AF | ||
| Face detection AF | ||
| Contract detection AF | ||
| Phase detection AF | ||
| Total focus points | - | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Lens zoom range | 24-1248mm (52.0x) | - |
| Largest aperture | f/2.8-5.6 | - |
| Macro focusing distance | 1cm | - |
| Amount of lenses | - | 143 |
| Crop factor | 5.8 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Screen diagonal | 3" | 2.5" |
| Resolution of screen | 460k dots | 230k dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch operation | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | Optical (pentamirror) |
| Viewfinder resolution | 200k dots | - |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 95 percent |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.55x |
| Features | ||
| Min shutter speed | 4 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Max shutter speed | 1/2000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
| Continuous shutter rate | 9.0 frames per second | 3.0 frames per second |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
| Custom WB | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Integrated flash | ||
| Flash distance | 6.00 m | - |
| Flash options | Force Off, Flash Auto, Force Flash, Slow Sync., Slow Sync. + Red-Eye, Red-Eye Reduction | Auto, Fill-in, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Off |
| Hot shoe | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Max flash synchronize | - | 1/160 seconds |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| 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) | - |
| Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | None |
| Video data format | Motion JPEG | - |
| Mic support | ||
| Headphone support | ||
| 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 sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 567 gr (1.25 lb) | 638 gr (1.41 lb) |
| Physical dimensions | 119 x 89 x 98mm (4.7" x 3.5" x 3.9") | 133 x 95 x 71mm (5.2" x 3.7" x 2.8") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall rating | not tested | 61 |
| DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 22.0 |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 11.2 |
| DXO Low light rating | not tested | 476 |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 240 photos | - |
| Battery style | Battery Pack | - |
| Battery ID | LB-060 | NP-FM55H |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse feature | ||
| Storage type | SD/SDHC | Compact Flash (Type I or II) |
| Card slots | One | One |
| Pricing at release | $599 | $1,000 |